The Fifteenth Member: A Completely Unexpected Journey
by shieldmaidenofthecarribean
Summary: Kylie Turney spent months in Middle Earth, but three years back home have convinced her it was all a dream. Due to an accident, she has returned. Unfortunately, she has come back approximately eighty years earlier. How will she survive in this familiar, yet unfamiliar world?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

A/N: This is set to follow my "Tenth Member" series. It's not necessary to read them first, but I'm going to reference it enough in this story so it might be a good idea.

I got this idea as soon as the movie came out this Christmas. Now that Tenth Member is finished, I decided to go ahead and write this. I wasn't going to post it until it was finished, but the story seems to be going underway alright. I want to see the response, and also get ideas! Please do review with ideas/suggestions/constructive criticism.

Without Further ado:

The Fifteenth Member: A Completely Unexpected Journey

Prologue

"Move over!"

Kylie Turney honked her horn repeatedly as some asshole in a red sports car cut her off right at her exit.

Then she took a deep breath. Three years. That was about how long it had been since she had last been seriously injured. Had there been bumps and bruises? Sure. There was even one particularly scary instance when she twisted her ankle in the middle of a tennis match, but a little ice and it was okay. It had been three years since she had been in the emergency room, and she desperately hoped to keep it up.

Her teammates had dubbed it the miracle of the century when Kylie, the then freshman tennis star, played for whole week without falling over her own feet. Then a second week. She actually played for the whole month without incident. Before her serious coma, Kylie would stumble around practically all day. Ever since the coma however, she was practically injury free.

The now eighteen-year-old Kylie attributed this streak of luck not to the coma, but to a certain set of events that happened during. She spent time in this place called "Middle Earth", It was stuck in the Middle Ages, but she made some of the most wonderful friends known to any species. She even died for them. For weeks she walked around convinced that she would walk around some corner and be back, but it never happened. Eventually, she convinced herself that these were just dreams. Not that she ever spoke of these dreams. It was too crazy.

Not that any of it mattered. Now she was on her way to high school graduation, and from there to Oregon State University.

HONK!

At least, if she survived the traffic first.

She screamed and honked at the ludicrous driver in the blue suburban. What was it with drivers and ten o'clock in the morning? It was as if that's when they let all the crazies out. To make matters worse, little drops of rain began to splash on her windshield.

"Ugh!" she growled.

The rain suddenly came down in torrents. But she was in Seattle… she was used to driving in the rain. She'd been driving for nearly two years now and still no accidents.

But every single other driver seemed to forget how to function. People started swerving dangerously.

"Idiots," she hissed. Just then, Kylie completely lost control of her own car. It seemed to develop a mind of its own. Not only did it fail to take the alternate exit, but it turned the other way. The steering wheel turned a complete eighty degrees on its own. The car spun around.

How was this possible?

Then it stopped. Kylie tried to regain control of the motor vehicle, but it was too late. She screamed as the black sedan crashed into her head-on at nearly sixty miles per hour.


	2. Chapter 2: Roast Mutton

Ch. 2: Roast Mutton

Kylie's head swam, but she sat up. She was not in her car. She was not on the highway. From the looks of it, she was not even in Seattle.

"Shit…."

There was nothing but trees. The weather was wet and muggy. Last time this happened, Kylie found herself in….

"No way…."

There was no way something this weird could happen to the same person twice.

Either way, she had no idea where she was. Where anybody or anything was. Or did she? Kylie could see a light far off in the distance. There was nothing for it, so she went forward. She needed help; she literally had nothing but the clothes on her back. Even when she was hit with a nasty smell, she crawled forward. At least she found a use for her oversized graduation robe: covering her mouth and nose.

The horrible sight that met her erased all doubts in her mind. She was back. This was Middle Earth.

There, sitting around a large fire, were three trolls. Three very ginormous, very ugly, and very smelly trolls. Kylie took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down. These trolls were obviously not bred for battle, so it should not be too difficult to avoid them. She began to back away.

Then she saw something she could not ignore. Perchance, she caught a good glimpse of the fire. The trolls were cooking something. She looked closer and her heart skipped a beat. Dwarves. Eyes wide, she continued to look. Further back, even more dwarves were stuck in sacks. Then she saw one that looked incredibly familiar. His red mane shook violently as he tried to free himself from his bonds. Could it be? Kylie's suspicion was confirmed when she saw two familiar axes in a pile of weapons.

Gimli.

"No," she whispered. She had to get Gimli out of there! But she had no weapons….

There! In among the weapons, were a bow and quiver. Kylie knew they weren't hers, but she figured whoever they belonged to was not in a position to object if she did decide to borrow them for a moment.

"Hurry up! I don't fancy being turned to stone!"

So the trolls were in a hurry. She did not have much time! Slowly, praying with every inch, she crawled forward. She did not dare go any faster, but she needed to get the bow as soon as possible! The weapons were far enough from the trolls, but if they turned around she was dead. Literally. And she had no idea how good their hearing was. If she ruffled the leaves too much… she didn't want to think of it. She needed a distraction badly.

And somehow, a distraction came in the form of a hobbit.

"I think you're making a terrible mistake," said the hobbit. Kylie knew it was a hobbit because he was clearly smaller than the dwarves, but he was also much less hairy. And his voice was higher.

"With the seasoning. I mean, have you smelt them?"

Kylie inched forward, fingers almost on her prize. She was making a little too much noise, but the hobbit's rambling gave her some cover. In the meantime, she needed to remember anything Aragorn or Legolas had ever taught her about trolls. Speaking of which, where were those two?

"Yes, the secret to cooking Dwarf is…" clearly the poor hobbit was trying to think of something, anything to say. "Is to… skin them first!"

Even Kylie dropped the weapons at that. Skin them? The poor dwarves were beside themselves, all screaming at the hobbit. Kylie quickly backed into the shrubbery with the weapons, safely out of sight.

"Tom, get me filletin' knife!" Kylie heard the troll say. She was quickly running out of time. She had to get a shot off before… time! That was it! She remembered how they had encountered three stone trolls in the forest after the Ringwraith attack. If trolls were caught by the sun, they would be turned to stone!

She didn't have to kill trolls; she just had to survive the night! And Kylie was willing to bet the little hobbit knew that too.

Strengthened, Kylie notched an arrow and stepped out from behind the tree. She would have one chance, maybe two before the idiotic trolls figured out they were under attack. Her heart stopped when she saw one of the trolls dangling a surprisingly fat dwarf above its mouth.

But the hobbit came to the rescue again. "Not that one. He is... he's infected!"

The dwarf cried out, but the troll dropped him.

"He what?" it cried.

"Yes, he's got worms in his… tubes!" Despite the severity of the situation, Kylie chocked back a laugh. Worms in tubes, really? "In... in fact, they all have!" he continued. "They're infested with parasites. It's a nasty business! I wouldn't risk it."

That was probably the most ridiculous thing Kylie had ever heard, but it was working. The trolls, if it was even possible, looked absolutely disgusted. Unfortunately, so did the dwarves. They yelled louder, trying to regain some scrap of dignity. Suddenly it grew silent. It was as if somebody had figured out what was actually going on and finally sided with the hobbit.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" cried one who sounded a lot like Gimli.

"Yes I've got parasites, the biggest you've ever seen!" cried another very, very quickly.

All the dwarves erupted in affirmation immediately. Suddenly, the trolls had pickets of infected dwarves.

"Well what should we do? Let 'em all go?" growled one troll.

Kylie could tell this was starting to go badly. She notched the bow again and looked for a target.

"This little ferret has been taking us all for fools!" growled the troll.

"Ferret?"

Kylie fired. Then she knew she should duck behind a tree, but she couldn't resist peeking out to see where her shot hit. For the past three years, Kylie had been a member of the Seattle Ranged Weapons Association. She had gotten very good, but the different balance of this bow threw her off a little.

So the arrow did not land on the troll's head as she had planned. Rather, it had landed right on its butt.

"Aye! What the…."

"Oo's there?" cried out another troll.

So they didn't see her. Kylie crawled to another tree and took aim again. This time, she was extra careful to hit above the hip. She was rewarded with a hit above the heart. Any other creature, it would have been dead. But this was a big fat troll.

"There!" pointed the more vicious troll in her direction. As the trolls lumbered towards her, Kylie knew she only had one chance. She threw aside the weapons and ran.

She could outrun the trolls. She knew she could. Yes Kylie had shorter legs, but the trolls were slow and stupid. "Bear left!" she screamed out as she continued to run straight.

"Bear?" cried one.

"Nah, its lyin'! It went this way!"

Kylie didn't even have time to curse as she ran forward. She looked behind. The trolls were gaining on her! She had severely overestimated her abilities and was about to pay the price.

She would pay. Kylie should have known better than to run without watching where she was going. If she had been looking, she probably would have seen the root, and most likely would have been able to avoid it. Yet she was not looking, so she could do none of these things. Instead, she flipped in the air and landed flat on her back. The force of the fall knocked the wind out of her.

Suddenly, she was upside down and at least ten feet in the air.

"So this stuck my arse like a pincushion?" cried one of the trolls?

"It hit me in the chest!" squealed one of the others.

"Take it back to the light. Perhaps it would be good skinned like them dwarves!"

"Nope, not really," mumbled Kylie. She could feel the blood rushing to her head and tried to sit up to a more upright position, but that was impossible to do while a large smelly troll was holding her feet.

Kylie saw the light getting closer and she struggled more. But soon she was too worn. The troll's grip did not get any looser around her legs.

Suddenly, she felt herself falling and landed on several different bodies. She rolled over quickly, but there was something sharp on her back.

"Now you stay right there, and where are the rest of you?"

"And what is it? Certainly no dwarf or burglarhobbit."

Kylie looked up in fear and confusion. If the trolls had no idea what she was, she did not want to help at all.

"A man perhaps?"

"Perhaps."

"Doubtful, have you ever seen a man so skinny?" said a voice that didn't quite sound like the trolls.

"Aye, probably not a man."

"Elf scum?"

Kylie shuffled uncomfortably. There was a little bit of light in the sky….

"Got a thin frame it has."

"But no pointy ears."

The troll poked Kylie. "It wouldn't make a mouthful. Put it with the dwarves." It tossed her back on top of the dwarves. By then, she was so sore she could barely move.

"And let dawn take you all!" cried another voice. Kylie looked on top of a rock to see a vaguely familiar figure looking down. She recognized him as a wizard, especially when he used magic to break the boulder in half, revealing the sun. The trolls growled out as their skin burned up. Slowly, the creatures became stone.

"A ha, Gandalf!" laughed the dwarves.

"Get off me!" cried the dwarf right underneath Kylie.

"Oh sorry," she muttered and rolled off again.

She looked around her. Where did Gimli go?

"Gim… oh." Suddenly there was a problem. The red-haired dwarf before Kylie certainly did look like Gimli, but he wasn't.

She didn't rescue a friend; she infiltrated a group of strangers. And now they were all staring at her.

A/N: I just wanted to get another chapter up so you all get an idea the direction I'm taking this so far. Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, I would not object to any ideas/ sources of inspiration.


	3. Chapter 3: The Troll Cave

Ch. 3: The Troll Cave

"Who are you, and state your business here," said a dwarf with black hair and a fur-lined coat. Even though Kylie was nearly a foot taller than him, she cringed at the authority and severity in his tone.

"Thorin," said the wizard, "you ought to be thanking this young lady. Without her aid, you surly would have perished."

"No thanks to you or your burglar," Thorin growled at the wizard.

"He, like the lady, had the sense to play for time. Something, which if I observed correctly, none of you thought about it. As for myself, I was looking ahead to a rather important stage of your journey."

"Gandalf?" asked Kylie. It was all coming back to her. When she left he was Gandalf the White. Clearly he had decided to go back to his original gray.

To her shock, he looked confused. "Ah, I do not believe we have met."

What? "Huh? But what about the… you know… the ring? The fellowship of the ring?"

"A war involving a ring?" he asked slowly.

"Yes!" Gandalf's face darkened, but he looked just as confused as before. Kylie's face fell. How was it that Gandalf did not remember something as important as that? "And why did you go back to gray?" she asked.

"I have always been, and always will be Gandalf the Gray," he said slowly.

Kylie looked down slowly. It wasn't even rejection. It was nothing; not a trace of recognition. It made her even more confused.

How did Gandalf not remember?

She turned around to see several dwarves studying her, including the dark-haired leader.

"None of this answers my question," he said. "Who are you, and what is your business with my company?"

"My name is Kylie Turney and… I don't know."

An older dwarf, with a lot of white hair and a long beard spoke up. "How did a young lady such as yourself journey this far alone?"

Kylie scratched her had. She was having such a crazy sense of déjà vu that it was not even funny. "Well… have any of you heard of Seattle?" All of them, including Gandalf, shook their heads. Kylie continued, trying to think of just anything to say. "I… I had a little accident… and I just landed here."

The older dwarf seemed sympathetic. Thorin, however, remained unconvinced. "Why did you approach the fire?"

"I was looking for help."

"Why did you attack the trolls?"

"What? You not happy that I saved all…."

"Do not test me," the dwarf warned.

Kylie got very still. "I… I…." She could not think of an answer they would like.

"Just tell us lass," said the old dwarf.

"I just… thought I recognized somebody. But I was wrong, I'm sorry."

The dwarves nodded slowly.

"Thorin," said the white-haired dwarf, "we cannot simply…."

"Thorin!" cried an approaching voice. Kylie looked beyond to see a younger dwarf running behind. At least, Kylie thought he was younger. As far as she knew, most full-grown dwarves had impressive beards. Gimli sure did. This one had little more than stubble.

"Thorin, where's my bow?" he cried anxiously.

"It's behind the tree," Kylie pointed.

The dwarf looked at her. "You took my bow?"

"Only for a little while!" she cried indignantly. This was just not turning out to be her day. After the car crash and the trolls and now this... And these dwarves were going to be much harder to convince than the hobbits and Aragorn had been.

He looked at her indignantly and stalked to the tree. Within half a minute, his face displayed every emotion known to humanity. When he looked around the tree, he was livid. Then the anger slowly transformed to shock and amazement, then to joy and gratefulness.

"It's not broken!" he shouted back to her.

"Duh," she called back. She was getting really flustered at this point.

Of course he did not know what "duh" meant. But he understood the tone. "I was just afraid you did something with it, or shot it wrong…."

"Shoot it wrong?" she asked.

"Never mind. Thank you for your assistance." He bowed slightly. "Kili, at your service."

"Kylie, at yours and your family's," she replied quickly. She remembered Gimli saying things like that before.

She didn't see it immediately, but Thorin loosened up a little.

"Thorin!" called another voice. It came from the dwarf she thought had been Gimli.

"Yes, Gloin."

Gloin? Wasn't that Gimli's _dad_?

"We found a troll cave!" shouted the dwarf. "And it is filled to the brim!"

"Troll cave? Trolls rarely venture this far north," said Thorin quietly.

"Yet here they are, where they have not been since a darker time…" said Gandalf reflectively. He glanced toward Kylie. She could tell he still didn't recognize her, but the look disquieted her.

"Well come on!" said Kili to Kylie. Reluctantly, she followed the dwarves to the troll cave.

But she stopped right at the entrance. The stench was just… nauseating. Even just standing outside it was almost unbearable.

"What I don't understand," said a dwarf with a bowl-shaped haircut and an oversized sweater. "Is why trolls that big would even care about us and our ponies."

Kylie herself shrugged. "Well trolls don't exactly care about anything, do they?" she asked sarcastically. Memories were coming back. Old memories. Mostly, Moria.

One of the dwarves grunted something she could not in a million years hope to understand.

"Sorry, Bifer cannot speak common tongue anymore. He was injured years ago." said the abnormally large dwarf. "My name is Bombur, at your service. What is your name, lass?"

"Kylie, at yours."

"You know a lot about trolls?" asked the other dwarf, the one with the sweater.

"I've fought a few. With people," she added quickly when the younger dwarf looked at her in utter shock.

"Everyone, let's move!" said Thorin as he climbed out of the caves. When he reached level ground, he tossed something to Kylie. It was a bow and a very large, yet full quiver. "I trust you can defend yourself?" He walked away without waiting for a response.

Kylie was trying to figure out if that was an invitation to stay or a demand to leave.

A/N: Well, that's the dwarves' reaction! For those of you who haven't read my other stories, i like to combine aspects from both the books and the movies. I usually pick whichever one suits my needs. Again, please review! I love feedback, and I thank everybody who has reviewed so far. And if there's anything you want to see in the story, let me know. No promises, but to the very least it might give me a little extra inspiration and help me fight off writers' block as long as possible lol.


	4. Chapter 4: Run!

A/N: I'm updating this soon because I have an important announcement to make.

I know you will find this hard to believe, but I do not own the Hobbit. I do not own Middle Earth; that belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.

So without further ado….

Ch. 4: Run!

Thankfully, Kylie did not have to decide. Just as all the dwarves left the cave, the trees began to rustle.

"Stand your ground!" Thorin called to everybody. Kylie looked to the side to see even the little hobbit brandishing a little sword. She nearly dropped her bow when she saw it. She hadn't seen it since Moria, but she was almost positive that it was Frodo's Sword: Sting.

All the evidence pointed in the right direction. Why did nobody recognize her?

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" cried one of the strangest voices Kylie had ever heard. She turned in its direction to see a very tattered old man flying out of the woods on his sled. Wait… was that sled being pulled by… rabbits?

"Radagast! It's all right, he is a friend!" announced Gandalf. The disgruntled dwarves either sheathed their weapons or simply leaned against them. Kylie put her bow away.

"What are you doing here?" asked the now Gray wizard

"I was looking for you Gandalf," said the other man. Or Radagast the Brown, if Kylie assumed correctly. His robes gave it away. "I need to tell you something!"

"Yes?" asked the old wizard carefully.

Radagast looked like he was about to start a conversation, and then stopped. Clearly, whatever this thing was, the wizard had forgotten. Wait, were those bird droppings in his hair? "Oh I had a thought, right on the tip of my tongue. Oh! It wasn't a thought at all! It was a little stick insect!"

Kylie moaned and sat down, still not far from the two wizards.

Suddenly, the crazy wizard seemed to remember. He grew very serious. "The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf. A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows anymore, at least nothing good. The air is fouled decay, but worst are the webs."

Webs? "Webs? What do you mean?" asked Gandalf.

"Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones," said Radagast. "Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant or I'm not a wizard. I followed their trail, they came from... Dol Guldur."

Kylie looked down. There was something about all those names that sounded very familiar… but she could not for the life of her put a finger on it.

"Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned," said Gandalf.

"No, Gandalf, 'tis not. A dark power dwells in there. Such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf, from out of the darkness. A Necromancer has come! OOH!" Radagast seemed almost caught in his own horrifying memory.

Gandalf offered him some pipe weed (and Kylie had a whole new opinion on that after three years of high school) then continued. "Now, a necromancer. Are you sure?"

Radagast took something out of his robes. From Kylie's angle, it looked like a dagger. But she moved closer just to make sure. Gandalf unwrapped the package, and memories of terror rushed back to Kylie like a torrent.

"A Morgul blade!" she whispered urgently. She remembered that night on Weathertop when the Witch-King stabbed Frodo with that blade. She remembered the Witch-King. She remembered how he tried to kill her at Minas Tirith. She trembled.

Gandalf and Radagast both turned to her swiftly. "How do you know of this?" demanded Gandalf.

Kylie turned to him, eyes wide. "Experience," she said shortly.

"How? You could not be more than fifteen summers!"

Kylie's face fell. Fifteen was exactly how old she had been when she had last seen him. "I'm eighteen."

"WARG!" screamed a voice.

Kylie turned in shock as a giant warg leapt out of the bushes. She did not even have time to draw her bow before the team of dwarves made good work of it. Both of them.

"Scouts!" cried Thorin. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind!"

"Who have you told about this quest, besides your kin?" thundered Gandalf. He sounded enraged but Kylie knew him, or at least at one point she did, well enough to know that he was just scared. And this simple fact made her limbs freeze. She had grown almost accustomed to the life of fighting for survival last time she was here, but that was three years ago.

"No one," whispered the dwarf.

"Who did you tell?"

"No one I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted!"

"Then we must outrun them!" cried one of the dwarves.

"We can't!" cried the dwarf with the large sweater. "The Ponies have bolted!" Never mind that Kylie would have been stuck without a pony anyway. Besides, she knew very well that a little pony would never outrun a full-grown warg.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast volunteered to everyone's shock.

Gandalf would have none of it. "These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you!"

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits." Literally everybody paused. But Radagast was completely serious. "I'd like to see them try."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

Kylie held her breath as she heard the crazy brown wizard race across the plains. She did not dare move until Gandalf motioned for them to run.

At first, she thought she would outrun the dwarves, but she had forgotten what Gimli had proclaimed while they raced across the plains of Rohan. These dwarves were natural sprinters! Although Kylie had longer legs and at least fifty pounds less on her to carry, she was about even with most of them. Some, such as Thorin and one with a bald head and ginormous... weapon (Kylie didn't know what exactly it was), were even running faster for a time. There was just one significant difference between this chase and the one in Rohan. Last time, she was among the pursuers. This time, she was the query.

"Come! Keep up!" cried the wizard, ushering them across the plains.

Kylie was not tired yet. She could feel the adrenaline was pumping through her limbs like crazy, but she hoped the dwarves all felt the same way. She knew speed was of the essence. The loony wizard was keeping the wargs away, but only just. Actually, his crazy driving brought them way too close at one point. Kylie herself barely stopped in time to avoid being seen by their hunters.

But their luck only lasted so long. Kylie should have known. They crouched below a rock when suddenly she heard panting. Her heart stopped. There was a warg right above them.

She caught a look Thorin gave to Kili. He wanted the younger dwarf to shoot the creature above. Kylie also took out her bow and notched it too, gaining all the dwarves' attentions. Some looked shocked, others looked annoyed. The wizard looked confused. But Kili actually looked… relieved? He mouthed something to her.

"What?" she mouthed back.

He nodded up and started making hand motions. She didn't understand half of it, but she knew that Kili wanted her to shoot the goblin on top. Kylie nodded in agreement. The dwarf then counted down, and they both jumped out, bows at the ready.

Kili's shot was true. It hit the warg in the eye, and it yelped helplessly in pain. Kylie's shot at the target. She completely missed; this bow was just too big for her. With effort, she pulled back and fired again. She tried to hit the heart, but she her arrow flew into the lower abdomen.

Not that it mattered much anyway. The warg and its rider were making enough noise to bring all of Mordor down upon them. Even if Mordor was leagues away.

"They've heard us!" she cried.

"Run! Follow me!" cried Gandalf.

If she thought she was afraid before, she was absolutely terrified now. Her legs moved even faster than they had for a long time. She moved much faster than the dwarves, but that advantage quickly became useless. Kylie skidded to a halt as three wargs appeared before her. There were more to her left. She backed up until she was standing on a rock, arrows ready.

"We're surrounded!" yelled somebody.

"Where's Gandalf?" cried another.

"He's abandoned us!"

"Stand your ground!"

Kylie's heart was beating way too fast. She hadn't been fighting for so long….

"Kili! Shoot them!"

Kylie took that as her own personal cue too. She notched an arrow and took careful aim at the nearest warg and fired. It hit!

Elated by this small victory, she fired again at another close object. She did not hit the warg she was aiming for, but she hit the orc on top. Fine. Now was not the time to complain about less than 100% accuracy.

"Come here! Here you fools!" cried a voice right behind Kylie. The rock she was standing on started to move and she fell flat on her face.

"Go!" cried a voice behind her. Kylie stood up to see Thorin on her rock, ushering each of the dwarves into the hole.

"Kili! You! Go, now!" To Kylie's surprise, he was looking down at her.

"Not yet!" she replied, almost surprising herself in the process. She notched her bow again and fired at a warg. They were getting so close….

"Down! Now!" Kylie barely managed to fire a second shot off before Thorin practically threw her down the hole. She had just scrambled out of the way when both he and Kili came down, crashing into other.

"What is this?" gasped one of the dwarves. Suddenly, there was a horn blast and cries above. Kylie ducked back as an orc fell into the cavern, an arrow in its neck.

"Elves," said Thorin with more disgust than Kylie had ever heard before. It made her cringe. She knew Legolas and Gimli had even worse arguments than most Middle School girls before they became friends, but Thorin's loathing brought the elf-dwarf feud to an even deeper level.

"There seems to be no end! Do we follow it?" asked the large dwarf.

"Follow it of course!" yelled the dwarf with the funny hat. Kylie had no objections. This path looked vaguely familiar.

The dwarves stumbled along. For herself, Kylie decided to stay close to the wizard. It seemed like the better choice the further they got as the dwarves, especially Bombur, struggled with the cliff edges. Finally, she stumbled onto a familiar scene. Kylie could not help as the biggest smile broke on her face.

Rivendell.

A/N: Whew! I think that'll be enough updates for a while. It depends on a) how fast I write and b) what sort of feedback I get.


	5. Chapter 5: Blast from the Past

Ch. 5: Blast from the Past

"Imladris, the home of Lord Elrond," announced Gandalf. "In the common tongue, it is known by another name."

"Rivendell," said the hobbit.

"This was your plan all along: to seek refuge with our enemy?" growled Thorin. He clearly had no intention of going on and it nearly made Kylie go crazy. She needed to go to Lord Elrond. Maybe, just _maybe_ he could tell her what was going on.

"You have no enemies here. And there is no ill will in this valley except that which you bring in yourself!" said Gandalf sternly.

"Do you think the elves will give this quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will," agreed Gandalf. "But we have questions we need answers to."

"You're on a quest?" asked Kylie.

Thorin looked at her severely. "We are traveling to visit our kin in the Iron Hills," he said in the same way Aragorn had described the quest of the ring around strangers.

"And why would they stop you for that?" Kylie tested.

The dwarf just stared her into silence.

"Thorin, you can choose to tell Lord Elrond what you wish. That is your choice. But you asked for my aid and I am giving it to the best of my ability. I know you do not wish for this, but the fact remains that we are dangerously low on provisions, you have an unreadable map, and we have found… my dear, what is your name again?"

"Kylie," she muttered.

The dwarf did not respond so Gandalf continued. "Now, if we are to be successful this will need to be handled with tact, and respect, and no small degree of charm, which is why you will leave the talking to me."

Thorin definitely did not like that. Kylie snickered. She sort of felt bad, but then she noticed that Kili and a blonde dwarf next to him were smirking as well.

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The elves sang to them as they approached the courtyard. Kylie looked around as more and more elves approached them, singing and laughing. It made her smile. She didn't recognize any of the elves, and she probably wouldn't recognize any of them unless the twins appeared, but she did have fond memories of this place. She remembered how friendly they were towards her and her companions. She remembered the music and the blissful time before things got dangerous. Those were the memories those songs brought back.

The hobbit looked enchanted. Kylie had no doubt he would enjoy his time here. The dwarves, on the other hand, looked uncomfortable.

"Welcome to Rivendell!" called one at the entrance of the house. "You come at an ideal time! We have many rooms available for such… distinguished guests." Kylie was not sure he approved of the dwarves.

"Thank you," said Thorin curtly. If he noticed it, he ignored it.

"We wish to speak to Lord Elrond," said Gandalf.

"Oh my Lord is not here at the moment…."

Almost right on cue, a horn sounded. The elf looked a little flustered. Clearly he knew a lot less than he pretended to. But the dwarves grew more and more agitated. They gathered very closely and clenched their weapons as the horses rode around them.

One of the riders called out to Gandalf in elvish. The elf dismounted his horse, and Kylie recognized him. Lord Elrond. He hadn't changed at all. Then again, he was an elf. They were immortal. Legolas had once told Kylie that he'd looked about the same for the past thousand years.

"Strange that orcs should come so close to our borders," the elf lord continued.

"I believe that may have been our doing…" Gandalf continued to introduce the company, including Kylie. Elrond gave her a second look, but it wasn't a look of recognition. It was probably just because she was a female in a company of dwarves. Once again, Thorin acted less than gracious, so Elrond switched back to elvish.

"What does he say? Does he offer us insult?" cried Gloin. Kylie smiled. Gimli probably would have said something like that if he were here.

"No master Gloin, he offers us food!"

"Oh. Then carry on."

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They were completely free after dinner, so Kylie went off on her own. She had spent nearly a month here, so she was hoping she would remember the layout long enough to get from one place to another. Truth be told, she was not in a hurry to be in the company of all the dwarves again. Dinner had been just plain uncomfortable. She sat by Kili, and so got introduced to Fili, but for the most part she sat in awkward silence. So she tried to find the gardens with the statue of the ranger woman. Unfortunately for Kylie, her memory was not as good as she had hoped. After at least an hour of wandering around, she stumbled back to the rooms with the dwarves.

"Ah, there you are lass!" cried the dwarf with the pointy hat. "We were just wondering where you ran off to!"

"You were?" she asked.

"Of course! You're with us now, right?"

Kylie tried not to hide her shock. She thought it would take much longer to gain the company's approval. "Yes, of course," she said finally.

"Well we should probably get to know each other. My name is Bofur. This is my brother Bombur and my cousin Bifer. Bombur had a few too many sausages as a lad as you can tell."

"Hey!" said the fat dwarf.

"And over there is Balin. His brother Dwalin is the one missing a little hair up here," Bofur continued, knocking the top of his head. "Big lad. They have known our king for a long time."

"King?" asked Kylie.

"Ha yes, Thorin Oakenshield," smiled Bofur.

"Our dear uncle," laughed Kili.

"Uncle? He's your uncle?"

"Can't you see the family resemblance?" With that, Kili hugged Fili and wore his most ridiculous grin.

"Not really," she smirked.

"We encourage him to smile, but for some reason he never does," reminisced Fili.

"Then there's Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, and Gloin."

"Hi everybody. My name's Kylie."

"Hi mi 'lady!" cried Oin. Or at least she thought it was Oin. He looked like Gloin but with gray hair.

"My brother's a bit hard of hearin' as of late," said Gloin. "She said KYLIE!" he roared in his brother's ear.

"And let's not forget our esteemed burglar, Mr. Bilbo Baggins."

"Bilbo Baggins…." Wait. Bilbo Baggins? Kylie's heart stopped. Bilbo Baggins? That was the name of Frodo's uncle, wasn't it? But he looked so young! There was no way….

"Hello," said Bilbo.

"Hi Bilbo. Good to meet you." Kylie's head spun as she tried to figure out who exactly he was. "I think I've met a few Baggines. I know one named Frodo… have you met him?"

Bilbo furrowed his brow and shook his head. "No, I do not have any cousins named Frodo. I have a cousin Drogo though, perhaps you mean him?"

"Maybe…."

"But it is very nice to make your acquaintance. If I may ask… how did you come in? Not that I'm not grateful for your efforts with the trolls I really am, but how…."

"I was just… in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Or right place, depending on how you look at it," said Balin.

"Guess it depends on how you look at it," acknowledged Kylie.

She was suddenly very glad she didn't eat much at dinner. Bilbo Baggins couldn't be a very common name. And even if it was, hobbits didn't leave the Shire a lot; Bagginses themselves never left. Merry had told her that much once. So this was almost definitely the Bilbo Baggins who raised Frodo. But this Bilbo didn't know Frodo. If this Bilbo was who she thought he was… and it was looking more and more likely… than she had somehow returned years before her time..


	6. Chapter 6: The Interview

Ch. 6: The Interview

Kylie spent the night in her own room, but she could not sleep. This was all just too weird.

The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she had somehow come back long before anything associated with the fellowship of the ring ever happened. Gimli's dad and Frodo's uncle were both here, and the both looked too young for this to be three years in the future. Bilbo looked decades younger than when she saw him last, and Gloin looked like he was Gimli's age. She had no idea how long ago this was, but it was long enough. She tossed around restlessly.

But then another crazy idea entered her mind. Bilbo Baggins only left the Shire twice. Frodo told Kylie himself. Once was to retire permanently in Rivendell, and another was on a quest with dwarves. In said quest, Bilbo found the ring. The one ring. Now here he was, on a quest with dwarves.

The most ludicrous idea entered her mind. What if she could find the ring? What if she could make sure Bilbo never took the ring back to the Shire, that Frodo never even saw it? What if she could make it to Mordor before Sauron returned and destroyed the ring herself? So many lives would be saved. They would never have to fight at the Black Gate. Sauron would not have the chance to attack Minas Tirith, and Saruman would not attack Helm's Deep. All those people would not have to die.

None of it would happen if the ring were gone.

Memories started flying back. Kylie remembered how Galadriel told her that she had been brought for a purpose. Maybe she was brought back for a purpose. If she had the chance to change the future for the better, she should take it.

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After maybe an hour of actual sleep, Kylie physically got out of bed and washed herself. She had half a mind to just wear her shorts and t-shirt, but she remembered the shocked look when Arwen saw her modern clothes three years ago. Or hundreds of years in the future. Whatever. Either way, she doubted Thorin would be impressed if she came out in just that. So instead she just put her now worn-down graduation robe back on and went in search of the dwarf king.

If she wanted to get the ring, she needed to join this quest. And if she wanted to join this quest, she'd need to convince the Thorin Oakenshield.

As luck would have it, he was with Balin and Dwalin on the porch. It was almost as if they were doing everything they could to stay as close to something made of rock. Then again, they were dwarves.

"Thorin, if you are really wishing to consult with Master Elrond…" said Balin.

"I do not wish it, but it may be necessary," said Thorin gruffly.

"This map," said Dwalin, "is a dwarven artifact. It would be a mistake to let an elf get his hands on it!"

Kylie stayed behind the column. This probably wasn't a conversation she was supposed to be listening to. But she was curious. She had done a lot of growing up the past few years, but one thing that had changed very little was her curiosity. And that curiosity could more or less undo any maturity she had gained.

"This map is your legacy and the legacy of your whole family. As is your treasure. We would just hate for it to fall in the wrong hands."

Treasure? Kylie froze as she heard the heavy footsteps of the dwarves come her way. There was no hiding now, but she definitely chose the most inopportune manner to reveal herself. She "casually" jumped out from behind the column. All three dwarves stopped.

"What're you doing here?" accused Dwalin.

"You're on a quest?" she asked suddenly.

Wrong question. The dwarves froze in front of her. They were almost scary. "What did you hear?" asked Thorin.

Kylie shifted uncomfortably. "What all have you said?" When the dwarves continued to glare (although Balin really only stared), Kylie continued. "Not much really. Just something about a map. That's it." The dwarves did not look any happier, but Kylie decided to venture just a little further. "So what kind of quest is it?"

"It is no business of yours," said Thorin.

"But I just want to know. I… I'd like to come if I may," she tried.

"No," said Dwalin and Thorin at the same time.

"Why not?"

"It is a truly delicate matter," said Balin, trying to come between the three. Kylie could not tell if he was going to help her or not. "Our quest promises not only to be a dangerous one, but a personal one. We prefer not to divulge too much to strangers."

"But you let Bilbo in, and he's not a dwarf. And I've been on dangerous quests before."

Thorin raised his eyebrows and Dwalin actually laughed out loud. "You, on dangerous quests? Nobody would permit a wee lass as yourself to do such a thing."

"Wee lass? What? I traveled from here to Gondor! We had to fight wolves and wargs and orcs and… other things!"

"Aye, I am sure you did lass," said Balin. "But the fact remains that this quest will be infinitely more dangerous. Gondor was at the end of your quest. Erebor is at the end of ours, but there is more."

"More?" Kylie did not like how they brushed off the quest with the ring, but what could she say? If the ring had not even been found at this point, she couldn't really talk about it, could she?

Balin turned to Thorin, as if asking his permission. Thorin held up his hand and stepped forward. "Years ago, a dragon came and attacked our homeland, driving us out. Nobody has seen the dragon for some time, so we are traveling to reclaim our home."

"And you won't let me go because…."

"To begin with, you are but a child…."

"I'm not!" cried Kylie childishly. "I'm already eighteen!"

"That is barely more than a child in the age of men," scoffed Thorin.

"Well where I'm from, eighteen is legally an adult."

"No matter how old you are, can you fight?" asked Dwalin.

"You saw me shoot. I'm a pretty good shot."

"You struggled with that bow," observed Balin.

"I'm used to something smaller, but I'll get used to it."

"How is your swordplay?" asked Thorin.

"Um…."

"You are useless with a sword?"

"Well so is Bilbo." She was not sure, but she guessed the hobbit had no experience with anything sharper than a butter knife.

"Yes, so I already have one defenseless company member. I do not need two. If you are no use with a sword than you are of no use to this company," stated Thorin. He turned away.

"I'm not completely useless! I've used a sword before… and I can get better."

"You say so?" said Dwalin smoothly.

"I do! I can!"

"If you feel so sure of yourself, then I challenge you to a sparring match."

Kylie looked at Dwalin. Sure she was nearly a foot taller, but she was pretty sure he weighed at least an extra fifty pounds in muscle. And he had decades of more fighting experience. He would kick her butt for sure. But if this was the only way to gain the dwarves' trust….

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Barely five minutes later, Kylie found herself facing Dwalin on a field, sword in hand. She could barely lift any of the dwarves' swords except, ironically enough, Thorin's. Apparently, it was an elvish weapon discovered in the troll cave, which meant it was much lighter than a dwarvish weapon. He let her borrow it.

It was the strangest thing. It was almost as if she were preparing for a job interview. She'd had a few before. Only the managers she'd applied with never made her fight them before.

Then again, none of them were dwarves.

"Now, whoever is scratched first loses," said Dwalin. With that, he swung.

Kylie used her additional three years of tennis practice to sidestep before the sword could come crashing down.

But clearly Dwalin was expecting something like this. He used his downward momentum to side-sweep. Kylie almost didn't see it coming, but managed to get the sword up just in time to deflect it.

Dwalin was relentless; Kylie could barely keep up with him. Her height, which was her advantage when fighting with large orcs, was working against her. She couldn't duck under Dwalin or his blows. But she was still faster than him. She used that several times as she jumped away from repeated blows. Suddenly, it was almost as if she was back in front of the Black Gate again. She tried to jump to his side and strike. It was the first time she had ever done anything on the offense, but it didn't go too well. Her foot got caught on her calf and she went tumbling. Dwalin pointed his sword down at her. But Kylie was not done. She used her sword to smack his away, and she rolled away as fast as possible.

But just as she stood up, her sword left her hand and she was on the ground again. This time, a boot was on her abdomen and a sword to her throat. It was over. Dwalin had won.

Kylie closed her eyes and lay back. It was all over.

Dwalin helped her up, and she gladly accepted. She was feeling a little dizzy from the spinning. She just was not used to fighting anymore.

To her shock, Thorin was right next to her, looking her over. "Your footwork leaves much to be desired, and you need to find the strength to force yourself against an opponent."

Kylie just nodded. "But I can shoot!"

"And what of times in battle when shooting is not an option?" he asked seriously.

Kylie shifted uncomfortably. "I'll get better," I promised. "And I've fought with a sword before." It was true. She had almost used nothing but her sword at the Black Gate. She didn't exactly survive, but there was no reason to tell Thorin that.

"Who _are_ you?" he asked finally.

She knew he wanted more than a name. Oh this could get complicated... but she decided to tell the truth. "I'm Kylie Turney. I'm from a place called Seattle. I think… I think it's a whole different world. I have no idea how I got here, but I think it had something to do with an accident I had right before."

Whatever Thorin was expecting, it was not this. He stood very still and stared inquisitively at her. "Why have you come?" When she shrugged, he nodded and chose another question. "Why do you want to join this quest?"

Of all the questions he could ask! Kylie could not answer that one truthfully. She could not explain why, but she did not want the dwarves to know she was from the future. It could make things very uncomfortable. So instead, she decided to tell them what she told Elrond before. "I don't really know anybody else here. And I don't know how to get home. But I like you guys and I'd like to help if I can."

Thorin exchanged a look with Balin, who was nodding. "Very well. Balin, go over the contract with her."

Her eyes widened. She did it! She smiled at Balin, who smiled right back. "Welcome to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

A/N: As always, suggestions/comments/critiques are welcome!


	7. Chapter 7: Old Friends

Ch. 7: Old Friends

Kylie did spend time with the company, but she knew that she had a lot of research to do about the ring and how exactly to destroy it. She knew Mordor was south and that the ring was evil. That was really about it. And she had no idea where Mount Doom was in relation to Erebor. So she spent the greater part of the week in Elrond's library.

Really, if Kylie were to wake up and decide to destroy the One Ring anywhere, Rivendell was the place to do it. Elrond's library was two stories full of everything she did and did not want to know about the ring, Mordor, and Sauron himself. A lot of it sounded familiar, but Kylie had not been paying attention at the council meeting before the original quest. It wasn't important at the time, so she was pretty sure she spent half of the meeting asleep. Now she was paying the price.

"Are they making you study too?" said a voice.

Kylie nearly fell to the first floor. "Who are you?" She whipped around to nothing.

"Up here," said the voice again. Kylie looked up to see a little boy sitting on the rafters. He could not have been more than ten.

"Nobody said I couldn't be here," Kylie returned. "But what are you doing here? How did you get up there?"

"I live here," said the boy, gray eyes shining. "Ada doesn't like it when I climb up here, but I do it anyway. Did you come here with the dwarves?"

"Yes."

"Amazing! What are they like? I've never met a real dwarf. And where are you from? Why are you wearing that?" he asked, pointing at the graduation robe that she was still wearing. She had thought about asking for different clothes, but she was afraid of talking to Elrond. She was afraid of talking to anybody. Kylie felt suspiciously like a child trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar.

"This is a grad… an overcoat." There was no way that kid knew what a graduation robe was. "And I come from a place you've never heard of."

Clearly, the boy disagreed. "Oh, my ada has taught me a lot. Where are you from? Rohan? Gondor?"

"Neither," smiled Kylie.

"Are you from the south!" cried the boy. "I've never been south. Ada says it's dangerous."

"You're ada is right." Whatever "ada" meant.

"So where are you from?"

Kylie sighed. There was clearly no getting around this kid. "Seattle."

"Is that south of Gondor?"

"No!" She put away her papers and walked towards the door.

The boy climbed down after her. "I've never heard of Seattle, but I know a lot. My ada has taught me history, geography, and I even know three different languages! Common tongue, elvish, and dwarvish! Well, I don't know dwarvish that well…."

"What is your name?" asked Kylie, pulling the door open.

"Estel," said the boy, taking hold of the door for her. "It's elvish for 'hope'."

"That's a nice name," said Kylie. And it sounded very familiar for some reason.

"Yes, my ada said I'm here because men have hope in me. Or something like that. He says he'll tell me later."

"What's an ada? A teacher?"

The boy had to think a moment before he continued. "No. Ada means father in elvish."

"Ok." Besides _yrch_, for orc, Kylie knew no elvish. Last time she was here, Aragorn and Legolas had spoken it on occasion, but she never picked any of it up. She just wasn't good with languages.

That was when she noticed something weird: this boy did not have pointy ears. He had nice, well-rounded ears. "You're human."

"Well, I did say ada calls me the hope for man," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Who is your ada then?"

"It's Lord Elrond himself!" said the little boy.

"Elrond?" Kylie asked. She was confused. Elrond took in human children? As far as she knew, there had only been one child to be taken in by Lord Elrond….

"Estel!" called a voice. Kylie turned around to see two familiar figures walking their way. She knew them! They were Elladan and Elrohir, the twin sons of Elrond. And they were calling for Estel. That's exactly what they called….

No… impossible! There's no way this could possibly be….

"Aragorn?"

Kylie's theory was quickly confirmed. Both of the elves froze, staring at her.

"Come Estel, it is far past your bedtime," said one of them, clearly trying to get him away.

"Goodnight!" she called to Aragorn. He was so young! Last time she saw him, he was a full-fledged king and warrior and friend. Now he was a kid. If he was this young… then she was nearly sixty years back in time. That thought put her on edge.

A hard hand gripped her shoulder and forced her to turn around. Elladan or Elrohir, Kylie did not know which, was staring her down. "What did you call my little brother?" he asked.

"Just his name, that's all," she said quickly.

The elf gave her such a hard look that her blood ran cold. "I heard what you said. What you called him. How did you know?"

"Ow," muttered Kylie, trying to loosen the hand on her shoulder. If anything, it got tighter. "What do you mean?" she cried.

"His true identity! How did you know?"

"Stop! I've been here before!"

"When?" he challenged. "I would remember your face."

"It was… will be…." The pain was forcing the truth out of her. But it was not helping. If anything, the confusion made the elf more desperate.

"Where did you learn his name?" hissed the elf.

"I… I…."

"Where?"

"I…."

The elf was clearly not interested in waiting for an unbelievable explanation. He grabbed her even harder and pulled her down the hall.

She panicked. "Wait, stop! I won't hurt him, I promise! I don't mean anything bad!" she rambled. This was bad. The elf dragging her was clearly livid. Or maybe he was just worried?

They reached a room out of the way and the elf knocked on the door loudly. Kylie stopped struggling when the occupant opened the door. It was Lord Elrond.

"Elladan? Must I remind you…?"

"Ada, we have a problem." Elladan pulled Kylie into the room and closed the door. She recognized this place. It was Elrond's private study. "She knows about Estel. His heritage."

Elrond turned to her sharply. "How did you come to this information?"

Kylie stuttered some more. She did not want to tell the truth. It was her secret. Even more importantly, he would never believe her. But she could not think of anything fast enough.

"How?" Elrond asked seriously. "That information is the gravest secret of this land. Who told you?"

"Look… I know you don't know me… but I swear I won't do anything to Aragorn!"

That only earned a hardened look. "Can I trust one who will not divulge the truth?"

"It's not like you'd believe me if I did," she muttered.

The elves just continued to glare at her. When it became clear that she would not leave that room until she gave an explanation, she took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm not from this world," she began. That part was easy enough; she'd told people such a thing before. "I'm from a different place that's kind of like this world some eight hundred years in the future. Anyway, I came to this world a few years ago. But when I came… it was sixty years from now. I met Aragorn then. He's, or he was one of my friends."

They did not look convinced. "And how convenient that you would be unable to prove such a claim," said Elladan coldly.

"But it's the truth!"

"Is there anything you can tell us to support these claims?" demanded Elrond.

She tried to think as quickly as she could. "I… look at my weird clothes!" She unzipped her graduation robe and revealed the shorts underneath. Both of the elves looked away with some degree of shame, so Kylie re-robed. "I know you can't get these from anywhere here."

Elrond nodded reluctantly. "Perhaps you do speak the truth about your origins, but what of Estel? How do I know you did not learn of him from another source? How do I know his enemies will not hear of this?"

"I won't tell anyone, I swear. But I can't prove that he's going to tell me in the future. That hasn't happened yet!"

Elrond paced slowly. Kylie just stood there, trying to think of anything. But nothing was coming. Nothing believable.

Suddenly, the Lord of Imladris spoke. "Come. You shall plead your case before the White Council. If you could convince them that what you claim is the truth, then I will grant you permission to journey on."

"And if not?"

"Then we must decide what to do with you here."

A/N: So I was not going to update again so soon, but I've been on an editing rampage. I've actually got a lot written, but it's about making it sound good and designing it to be the story I want it to be. So I'm going to put this chapter up because it's done and I can move on to other chapters.

And I've got to give a shoutout to PrincessMnMz, who has been following my stories for some time now, and who suggested that I put Aragorn/Estel in the story. Here he is!


	8. Chapter 8: The Council of the Wise

Ch. 8: The Council of the Wise. And Saruman.

Kylie sat uncomfortably on the patio. That was the best way to describe where she was. There was a table surrounded by columns under an open roof. The sun was just beginning to come up. That meant she had stayed up the majority of these people to pass judgement. She had sat on the table tapping her fingers on the table awkwardly, just trying to stay awake. To make matters worse Elladan had been watching her the whole time, making her exceedingly uncomfortable. Finally, somebody entered the room.

But it was not Elrond.

"Lady Galadriel!" cried Kylie as the majestic elven lady came in. As was the case with Elrond, she had not changed one bit. As was the case with Gandalf, she was infinitely confused when Kylie called her by name.

"I do not believe we have met," she said at last.

"Oh… well…" Kylie stuttered awkwardly.

"I believe my father wishes to discuss that today," said Elladan.

Lady Galadriel continued to stare at Kylie, trying to read her. It made the American girl even more uncomfortable than when Elladan glared at her.

A voice broke the silence. "… Nor am I for that matter." Gandalf had arrived! Thank God. Kylie was not sure if she could stand waiting for much longer.

"It is not I you must answer to," said Elrond.

The two finally turned the corner. Gandalf greeted the Lady of Lorien. Then he noticed Kylie. "Ah there you are. I believe Thorin and company are searching for you," he told her.

"Thanks."

"First, there is something of upmost importance that we must discuss," said Elrond seriously.

Gandalf's face grew solemn. "Yes, I believe there is. You called this session?"

"He didn't," said a vaguely familiar voice from behind. Kylie whipped around when she heard it. Her eyes widened and she forgot to breathe.

Saruman didn't even have a chance to finish what he was about to say when Kylie jumped off the table. "What are you doing here!" she cried, backing into one of the columns.

Everybody stared either at Kylie or Saruman. The wizard just looked confused. "Who is this?"

"Why did you let him in?" she hissed, now gaining enough courage to walk forward. "Do you have any idea who he is?"

"Kylie," said Gandalf, "this is Saruman the White. He is the head of my order."

"The White?" It had never even occurred to Kylie that the evil wizard once held Gandalf's position. Or at least the one she was most familiar with. White or multicolored or whatever he was, Kylie turned on him. "Have you talked to Sauron recently?"

Saruman looked both shocked and appalled. "I beg your pardon…."

"Do you or do you not have a palantír?" she yelled.

Lord Elrond stepped between the two. "These are serious accusations, Kylie Turney," he said.

But she didn't care. "Well do we know what he did? He burned down Fangorn! He made orcs! Literally! He made his own brand of orcs because normal orcs are just not good enough! And do you know what he did with those orcs? Uruk-hai? He sent them to Rohan to kill everybody there! We fought all night just to survive! He tried to kill us all, and he tried to kill us when we went to Isengard! So what _the hell_ is he doing here?"

"That is absurd!" cried Saruman.

"Can you prove such a charge?" demanded Gandalf.

Kylie growled and clutched her head. Oh yeah... none of this had happened yet. "No. But I can tell you it happened. Or it's going to happen…."

"Going to?" asked Gandalf.

"This is what we must discuss!" interrupted Elrond. "Ms. Turney claims to not only be from another world, but to have visited the future. We need to discuss the implications."

"Surely you do not believe this to be possible?" asked Saruman. Kylie's outburst definitely turned the White Wizard against her. "There are no known cases of anybody traveling from one dimension to another!"

"Nobody cares about your opinion!"

"This is not opinion! I make it my business to know the comings and goings of all Middle Earth."

"And yet she tells the truth."

All eyes turned to Lady Galadriel.

"But it sounds so impossible," said Gandalf.

"Yet she does not lie. As difficult as this is to understand, it is the truth."

"But the Dark Lord is vanquished. He could never turn, much less manipulate… anyone," insisted Saruman.

"He has done such a thing before," said Galadriel solemnly.

"Yeah!" insisted Kylie. "And Sauron hasn't been vanquished. _He_ told me that story when he told me his name," said Kylie, making sure that Elrond knew she was referring to Aragorn. "Isildur cut off the one ring from Sauron's hand and he lost his power. You all know that. But this ring's going to be found again, he'll find out, and he'll come back."

"But such a thing is impossible," declared Saruman. If Kylie had the ability to trust Saruman even in the slightest, she would have noticed the trace of doubt in his voice.

Galadriel, on the other hand, just stared at Kylie. The fear was visible in her eyes. "If these events remain unchanged, such will be our future."

"What do you see?" asked Elrond cautiously.

Galadriel shook her head and the council remained silent for a long time.

Finally, Saruman spoke. "What is the future, that we may avoid it?"

"I'm not telling you!" she cried.

"I agree," said Elrond quickly. "Such knowledge could be perilous. It may be safer to remain ignorant on certain aspects of the future. However, do you agree to answer any questions we have?"

Kylie looked around. She wanted to get out of this. Not only was Saruman too close for comfort, but she felt very small and insignificant. But she doubted the White Council would let her out anytime soon. "Sure."

"Then what exactly did you call us together for, Saruman?"

The White Wizard shifted in his seat to have a more direct view of Gandalf. "You are traversing with a company of dwarves, are you not?" Kylie did not have to be biased against the wizard to hear the disdain in his voice.

"Yes, I have recently made acquaintance with Thorin Oakenshield. I am sure you have heard of him."

"And the quest to reclaim Erebor?" asked Elrond.

"Reclaim Erebor? Gandalf, do you know implications of that?" After a few moments of silence, Saruman continued. "The dragon will reawaken."

"I am well aware of that possibility," acknowledged Gandalf. "But what fears me more is what may happen if he is woken later rather than sooner. Smaug is the last of the great drakes, and he is dangerous. Especially if he could be swayed."

"What do you refer to?" asked Elrond slowly.

"What we have been dancing around this entire council. Trolls return to the North. A darkness envelops the Greenwood and… there is word… of a Necromancer who has taken refuge in Dol Guldur."

"A Necromancer, are you sure?" interrogated Saruman.

"Yes. I have reason to believe he is responsible for the contamination of the Greenwood."

"Surely, it is just a mortal man who has dabbled too far in the dark arts."

"I thought so too, but Radagast…."

"Do not speak to me of Radagast the Brown. He is a foolish little fellow."

Gandalf laughed. "Well, he's odd, I'll grant you. He lives a solitary life..."

"It's not that," said Saruman. "It's his excessive consumption of mushrooms!" Despite herself, Kylie giggled under her breath. "They have addled his mind and rotted his teeth! But Gandalf, as of yet I have heard nothing to convince me this man is in league with the Dark Lord, and even less to convince me that this quest has merit. I'm afraid I cannot condone it."

"Sure you can't," said Kylie sarcastically.

Saruman had clearly had enough. "Contrary to what you believe, managing the Istari is a balancing act. I cannot simply condone one quest in the interests of one race. Nor can I simply…." He froze.

Kylie did too. Chills rushed through her body and the hairs on her neck shot up. Gandalf had pulled out the Morgul blade.

"What is it?" said Elrond, reaching over towards it.

"A relic of Mordor!" gasped Galadriel.

Kylie just nodded and watched as Elrond continued to unfold the cloth covering the knife.

"A Morgul Blade," breathed Elrond. Kylie could only nod.

"The blade was in the possession of the Witch-King. And buried with him. When Angmar fell, he was sealed away in a tomb. A tomb so dark it would never come to light."

Kylie was shaking by now. She vividly remembered the wraith's attack in the crypt. She remembered the evil creature landing on the walkway. She remembered two people fighting with her, but they were both killed. She could see the blood on the floor. The wraith walked toward her, sword drawn….

"Kylie?"

Galadriel's voice drew her out of the trance. Kylie shook. It was okay. He was gone.

"Are you alright child?" asked Gandalf, patting her back.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"_You do not speak the truth_," said a voice in her head. Kylie nearly jumped and turned back towards Galadriel. "_Do not be alarmed. We will speak later_."

"I'm fine," she repeated, still struggling to find her voice.

The White Council all exchanged a look. Kylie would have no way of knowing this, but her reaction only solidified the evidence. It had been so real, and honestly so frightening that they were convinced that it could not be fake. And this weapon could only have originated from something with real evil power, if not from the Witch-King himself.

"Clearly," said Saruman cautiously, "there is much to consider today."

Gandalf nodded vigorously. "Dark powers are rising. A dragon with an allegiance to evil would be devastating."

"Kylie, do you have anything to add?" asked Elrond.

The girl nodded. "We barely survived as it was. There's no way we could have with a dragon."

"Then what of the outcome of this quest?" Elrond asked tentatively.

Kylie thought back. "I remember we finished the council…. Bilbo talked about it… oh no…." It was a horrible realization on so many levels. She was supposed to be on this quest. She was supposed to do this and to destroy the ring and use what knowledge she had to make things better. But she knew almost nothing. "I don't know…."

"Can you remember anything?" asked Gandalf. "Did you know any dwarves? Was there a dragon?"

"No, no dragon. And I knew a dwarf. His name was Gimli."

"The son of Gloin?"

"Actually, yes!"

"And where did he come from?"

"The… the lonely mountain…" she said slowly.

"See?" demonstrated Gandalf. "If a dwarf will be able to inhabit the lonely mountain again, then this quest should succeed."

"Yet can you truly guarantee this quest's success?" said Elrond slowly.

"We cannot afford to fail. Neither can we afford to do nothing."

Each of the elders nodded. "I suppose that is all, then," said Saruman. "The dwarven quest has the blessing of the council." He did not seem happy about it, but Kylie could not tell if it was because his opinion was not supported, or if there was some darker motive.


	9. Chapter 9: Ramifications

Ch. 9: Ramifications

Kylie stayed in her seat as the rest of the council members left. Gandalf assured her that he would tell Thorin she would be right down. Elrond exchanged a look with Galadriel, but quickly left. Saruman was the last to exit. He gave her a long glance that she couldn't quite read, but she did not think it could be anything good. But he did not stay long. Finally, the two women (or elf and woman) were alone.

"You have been touched by this evil," said Galadriel, gesturing to where the Morgul blade had sat. There was no question in the elf lady's voice.

"Yeah." There was no point in hiding it.

"Tell me."

Kylie sighed and sat down. "Do you want the short version or the whole story?"

"The gift of foresight itself is a burden," admitted Galadriel. "I do not wish to know the future, only the truth."

"Alright. Well in the future, there will be a full out war. Like orcs, trolls, giant elephants… everything. I guess it all started when the ringbearer brought the ring here. That was the first time they attacked us."

"The Witch-King?" Galadriel's already pale complexion became white.

Kylie nodded. "The Nazgǔl. All nine of them. The first time they attacked us was on Weathertop. Frodo… he was the ringbearer… was stabbed by that knife. Then they chased us here. But we got rid of them for a little while. Then the Witch-King led an assault on Minas Tirith and…." Kylie couldn't continue.

"You withstood an attack," said the Lady.

Kylie nodded. "He grabbed me..."

"His mark has been healed, but you never had the chance to cope. It will be difficult once you leave this place. Dwarves may be a bullheaded race, but they are among the most loyal of companions. You will have need of their support."

"Okay?"

"There is more. Tell me: why did you choose to join the dwarves' quest?"

"I just did," she said quickly. This was a difficult question. Kylie did not want to answer, but she knew the Lady of Lorien had some sort of power that allowed her to see in minds.

"You wish to change the course of the future," said Galadriel without any doubt.

If she had thought about lying before, she knew now she couldn't. "You have no idea what's going to happen. I can't just sit here and not do anything!"

"The future is a very difficult thing to change. It may prove to be impossible. But you need to take caution."

"But I have to try!"

"You misunderstand. Whatever you decide to change, there will be consequences."

"I know."

"Do you?" Galadriel said, more serious than Kylie had ever seen her before. "You are playing with an evil you cannot hope to master on your own."

Kylie looked down crest. She knew Galadriel was right, but she couldn't be. "Look. Last time I was here, you told me that I came here for a reason. I mean… there's got to be a reason I'm here again."

Galadriel was silent. Kylie knew she had a point. She had to. It took several minutes for the Lady of the Woods to speak. "I cannot see all ends. And I cannot foresee what you may or may not cause. But please, remember each of your actions will likely cause change. It may be even worse than the future you know."

"Of course…."

"No. You must understand: you may inadvertently cause something we may all regret."

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Lord Elrond was waiting for Kylie when she left the council chambers.

"It appears you spoke the truth," he said.

"I told you, Ar… he," she changed quickly at Elrond's warning glance, "was my friend."

"I understand now. But I do hope you understand the need for my caution. And I hope you will exercise that same caution during your travels," he told her.

"I will," she promise. "It's just hard. If this were the future, you'd trust me."

"In your future, I would already have an impression of you. Here, I know nothing. Do you understand that?"

Kylie nodded slowly. She was almost glad to be leaving with the group of dwarves. Maybe they were still getting used to her, but at least she was getting used to them too.

"However, my fears were wrong and I may have treated you with disrespect. I know my sons did. Please, accept my offering." With that, Elrond produced a bow, quiver, and sword. "I have noticed you struggle with your weapons. These ought to be much easier for you. And these," he continued, producing a sack, "are from the armory. You ought to find these more suitable to travel in than the attire from your world."

"Thank you."

"Although I need to ask: what is your purpose here?"

"How do I know? I don't know why anybody brought me here," she said desperately without trying to sound desperate.

Elrond stared, but he did not have the same effect as Galadriel. He did not completely believe her, she could tell, but he was unwilling to say. "You will have many choices here. Each choice will invariably lead to something unknown. Your actions may or may not lead to a change in the future you know."

"Okay. I understand," she said quickly.

"I suppose I cannot keep you here without cause. But I will beg of you: do not try to influence the future."

Kylie stared. "I won't do anything that will make anything worse."

Elrond nodded slowly. He must have known that he would not get any better answer. "Good luck, Kylie Turney. May Eru bless all your decisions."

A/N: Writing's starting to get a bit slow... but I'm going to keep up as long as I can! As always, reviews are appreciated :)


	10. Chapter 10: Overhill

Ch. 10: Overhill

Kylie was relieved to find that the company had not left her behind. Balin said that it was nothing to be concerned about. A contract was a contract. However, she could tell that Thorin was not too happy about the delay. He declared that unless there were no more objections (and here he stared pointedly at Kylie), they would be leaving the next morning. And they certainly did. Kylie was drug out of her bed before there was even any trace of sun. It was too damn early, she decided as she stumbled down the steps. It was almost as if all of the coordination she had gained throughout the course of her life had vanished.

And they didn't even have coffee here.

She felt a little better when she finally saw the landing. But that was when Kylie Turney lost her footing completely and slid the rest of the way down.

"Ow! No, stop… oh…." She was flat on the bottom of the pavilion.

"And a splendid morning to you too!"

Kylie snarled as Kili stood over her. He just smiled as she struggled to stand.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" cried Bilbo, rushing over to help her up.

"Yeah I'm fine. It's good to know someone cares," she said, sarcasm directed towards the youngest dwarf.

"I trust you will not make this a habit?" said Thorin, walking past.

"I'm working on it," she growled.

"Good. Let's move." With that, the troupe left. Kylie looked back to see Elrond staring at them. She thought she could see him waving them off, but it was difficult for her eyes to make out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

By the end of the first day, Kylie almost regretted deciding to travel with this group of dwarves. They were all just too… similar. It was nothing like journeying with the fellowship before. Each of the different races had something to contribute to the mix, so each member was seen as valuable. The majority of the dwarves clearly saw herself and Bilbo as tag-alongs. Although she and Bilbo never managed to have a conversation, she knew he felt the way she did. She saw it in his face. Last time, it was such a comfort to have Legolas and the hobbits. While they were masculine in their own ways, they held certain standards that helped make Kylie comfortable. The dwarves had nothing such.

Still, she knew she had to manage. She'd just have to no showering and very infrequent (and often awkward) bathroom breaks. Besides, it was all for her friends. Friends who were, for the most part, either not born or only children at this time.

That was certainly weird to think about.

"Kylie!" called Kili from behind her. "Do you know of any good traveling games?"

"Umm…." It had been nearly two days without an actual conversation. The question caught her off guard. "Games?"

"We're bored," said Kili seriously.

"Bored… wait…" Kylie didn't associate 'fun' and 'energetic' with dwarves. Gimli had been amusing at certain points, but he certainly never instigated fellowship bonding time. "Exactly how old _are_ you?" she asked, not finding a better way to articulate her shock.

"82"

"77"

"Huh?"

The brothers laughed, but Balin rode forward to elaborate. "Dwarves live longer than humans. As a result, our age of maturity is much higher than that of humans."

"In other words we're almost adults," smirked Kili.

"So in dwarf years, you're about my age?" she asked.

"Well, how about we let the lads determine that," smiled Balin innocently.

"Fili, shall you do the honors?" laughed Kili.

"I'm eighteen, by the way."

Poor Fili started counting on his fingers. It took him several minutes, and even then Kylie was pretty sure he didn't get an exact number. "Just about," he said finally. "Although Kili's a little younger."

"So I have every right to an innocent game!" insisted Kili.

"Whatever you say!" Kylie shrugged. "But I don't know of a lot of road games. The only thing I know of is the Slug-bug game. You try to find a Slug-bug, say what color it is, and then you punch the person you're playing with, but…."

"Ridiculous!" snorted Dwalin.

"How are we supposed to see a slug from on our ponies?" asked Bofur.

"We can't!" cried Kili.

"Oh yeah… um… you don't have any slug-bugs here…" started Kylie.

"Of course we do!" cried Fili. "We have slugs and many other… AH!"

Unbeknownst to the rest of the company, Kili had dismounted and searched the grounds for a 'slug-bug'. Unfortunately for his brother, he found one. "Slug-bug black!" he cried, practically throwing his Fili off the horse.

Fili, in turn, roared out a fierce dwarvish battle cry and ran towards his brother. Kili was ready for it and shuffled to the side as Fili tried to tackle him to the ground. Then Kili jumped.

"For Erebor! For Thorin!" they cried as they tried to pin each other to the ground.

The king to whom this fight was dedicated, however, did not find it amusing. He slowly dismounted and walked toward the younger dwarves. "Fili! Kili!" he called out dangerously.

But they didn't notice him. Even worse, they were rolling around in the only pit of mud that likely lay between Rivendell and the Lonely Mountain.

"Fili! Kili!" Thorin grabbed the two of them and smashed their heads together.

Kylie gasped. "Oh don't worry about that, lass," said Bofur. "We dwarves have much harder noggins. It'll just snap them out of it."

"If you are finished," Thorin shouted at his nephews. "We have until Durin's Day to reach the Lonely Mountain, and there may or may not be orcs on our trail! Do you believe we have time for distractions as such?"

Both dwarves, now covered in mud, stood up. They both looked ashamed. "I am sorry, uncle," said Fili slowly

"Me too, uncle," said Kili. "I wish to make it up to you."

Then before anybody could react, Kili embraced his uncle. The dwarves all stifled laughter (some more successfully than others). Kili was not hugging his uncle out of love or remorse. No. The young dwarf was covered head to toe in mud. Now, so was Thorin Oakenshield.

"KILI!" yelled the indignant dwarf king.

That only made the other dwarves laugh harder. Even Kylie and Bilbo were laughing now.

"I love you too uncle!" Kili called, letting go of Thorin and sprinting to his pony.

That was the day Kylie decided not to suggest games involving something that hadn't even been invented yet.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Although Thorin blamed her for that incident, Kylie was much happier after. Somehow, it helped her fit in with the dwarves a little better. Overall, it made next few days better. Then they reached the mountains, and the entire journey became almost unbearable. It was constantly storming. Literally. Kylie was not entirely convinced that something didn't watch them go into the mountain pass and open the heavens the second they did.

"Thorin! How are we supposed to anywhere in this deluge?" cried Balin. "We must rest!"

"Not until we find shelter!" Thorin called back.

Just then, Kylie slipped and fell on the path. She thanked God every day for the shoes Elrond gave her. They were much better than the flip-flops she had before. But unfortunately they had absolutely no traction on wet rocks.

"Stay up lass!" cried Dwalin, holding onto her.

"Dori, keep an eye on Mr. Baggins! Kylie, you stay between me and Dwalin!" called Thorin. Dwalin helped the young woman to the front of the line. She hugged the cliff wall and stayed right behind Thorin.

"Thorin! Come back!" called Fili up ahead. Thorin watched as his older nephew pointed frantically at the wall before disappearing. A cave!

"Hurry, get inside!" Single-file, they all walked toward the cave.

Suddenly, the unexpected happened. They were so close when a small cry filled the valley as Bilbo slipped on the cliff. He was sliding dangerously close to the edge. Bofur dove to drag him, but the momentum nearly dragged the dwarf along as well.

"Stop! Get into the cave now!" cried Thorin as he pushed Dwalin and Kylie against the wall. They all inched closer and closer until Thorin finally grasped Bofur's foot. He inched along until he grabbed Bilbo's other hand, bringing the hobbit back to the path. The two dwarves dragged the shaken hobbit into the cave.

"Whew!" cried Bofur, patting Bilbo on the back. "We nearly lost our burglar!"

"He's been lost ever since he left home!" growled Thorin. "He never should have left his hobbit hole. That's where he belongs. And do not even _consider_ building a fire in this cave Gloin!"

"And check the back!" added Dwalin, who was practically dragging Kylie in at this point. "Caves in the mountain are seldom safe."

"They're not?" moaned Kylie.

"Goblins have been known to inhabit the mountains," answered Gloin.

"Goblins?" she squeaked.

Thorin glared. Clearly, he was not in the mood for anything that could possibly be mistaken for weakness.

Kylie shook her head and adjested her bedroll, making sure to put her weapons where she could get to them. Then she went to sleep. Or she tried.

At first it was a perfectly normal dream. She met up with friends, both from Seattle and Middle Earth, and raced them from one end of a a luscious green valley to another. Then the sun set and the temperature dropped. Kylie stopped. She couldn't put a finger on it, but something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

She came to a halt and turned around. All of her friends were gone, but she was not alone. She was surrounded. She couldn't exactly distinguish who these figures were; they blended perfectly in the darkness. But the way they made her feel was incredibly familiar. She felt more afraid than she had ever felt in her entire life. Except once.

Oh no….

Kylie counted the shapes as they approached. There were nine of them. They all drew their swords simultaneously.

No….

They were feet away. How had they gotten there? Now that they were so close, Kylie recognized them. The Ringwraiths. The Nazgǔl.

"No!"

She whirled around. One the Nazgǔl had a horrendous iron crown that almost wrapped around his head. The Witch-King.

"_So it is in you they place so much hope_," he whispered.

"No…"

Kylie struggled as he reached out, the iron hand grasping her throat. She wanted to scream. She tried, but nothing could come out. There was no oxygen reaching her lungs, and nothing returning to her voice. She thrashed, trying to loosen the ironclad grip. But nothing was working.

"Kylie," he whispered.

She choked in some oxygen.

"Wake up lass!"

She thrashed harder, trying to hit the Nazgǔl. But her arms would not move.

"Kylie!" something pleaded.

Her eyes popped open to see Bilbo, Bofur, and Thorin all above her. The two dwarves seemed to be trying to hold her down and Bilbo just stared at her in a state of panic.

"Are you trying to awake the entire mountain?" hissed Thorin.

"No! You don't know… there were… and they were… and I…."

"Lass, calm down. 'Twas just a dream," said Bofur quietly.

"Yeah… yeah…." Kylie was still far from calm. It was not just that it was a bad dream, or a dream more horrifying than any others, but it was based off of memories that she really was hoping were gone. They hadn't bothered her much after Aragorn awoke her, or after she returned home. But now…. "I just want some air."

"I wouldn't…" started Bilbo. But he was too late. Kylie stood up so fast that she ended up falling flat on whoever was lying next to her.

"Ow!" said an abnormally loud voice.

"Sorry Oin," she said groggily.

"That's enough," said Thorin. Kylie felt two hands grip her shoulders and force her into a sitting position against the tunnel wall. She was almost awake now.

"Kylie, what was so bad about your dream? I don't want to probe, but you were tossing and turning…."

"I'm fine. Really. It was just a bad dream," she said simply.

Neither Bilbo nor Bofur nor Thorin believed her, but they did not have time to disagree. There was a loud creaking in the back of the cave. The four of them, and the now wide-awake Oin, all sat wide-eyed as the back of the tunnel opened wide.

"Wake up, wake up!" cried Thorin, brandishing his sword. It shone a brilliant white. Seconds later, the tiny cavern was infested with goblins.

A/N: In case you didn't notice, I took the artistic liberty to remove the stone giant scene. It was entertaining to watch in the movie, but nothing like that happened in the book. Also, for those of you who don't know, a "slug-bug" is a VMW Bug. We played that game in the car when I was little… so yeah….


	11. Chapter 11: Underhill

Ch. 11: Underhill

The dwarves tried to fight, but it was completely useless. The goblins had caught them completely off guard. Nobody was ready. However, before they could reach the mouth of the cave, Bofur had the sense to throw his cloak and hood over Kylie. "Do not make a sound!" he hissed. The goblins grabbed them and pulled them away.

Kylie tried to struggle, but there were just too many. She ended up being shoved between Balin, Dwalin, Bofur, and some thirty goblins. They dragged them down deep into the caverns.

Minutes in, Kylie saw a yellow light in the depths of the cavern. With the lights, came a sound. As they got closer, she could distinguish the horrible voices of goblins.

"They sing?" she whispered. The three dwarves each sent her a glance, shutting her up.

_Clap! Snap! The black crack!_

_Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!_

_And down down to Goblin-town_

_You go, my lad!_

Goblin-town? That reminded her too much of Moria for her comfort. Her struggles intensified until Balin stopped her.

"Wait," he whispered. "Give Thorin a chance."

She didn't like it. Not one bit. But the fact was there was absolutely nothing she could do. Her weapons were stripped, and she was not strong enough to fight off all the goblins.

"Patience," assured the old dwarf as they entered the main chambers.

If the caverns were not evil, goblin infested tunnels, they would be impressive. They were wooden platforms supported by beams that seemed to be put in in every which direction. Everything seemed to work on pulley systems and old rope, but it looked sturdy enough. But only feet away was a one-way trip to an endless chasm. Kylie found herself trying to get as close to the center of the bridge as possible. But that put her closer to the goblins. She tried to push herself forward, but she ended up crashing right into Kili and Fili, who were right in the front.

"What are you doing?" whispered Fili.

Thorin heard and sent them both a hard glare.

When reached the center platform, Kylie saw why everybody had been urging her to be quiet. This was no ordinary platform; it was a throne room. Or at least it would have been in civilized parts of the world. And in this throne room, sitting on a throne of skulls, was the largest goblin Kylie had ever seen. He was at least a foot taller than Kylie, had a large growth on his chin, and was covered in hairy warts. It was the most revolting thing she had ever seen.

"Who are these miserable persons?" demanded the oversized goblin.

"Dwarves! We found them sheltering in our front porch."

"What do you mean by it? Up to no good I'll warrant; spying on the private business of my people, I guess! Thieves, I shouldn't be surprised to learn! Murderers? Elf Friends? What is your business?" The dwarves remained silent. "Very well! If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring up the bone-breaker, and start with the youngest!"

Kylie froze as the warty finger pointed right at her. Even if Bofur's cloak covered most of her feminine features, her face looked years younger than any of the others. Plus, she was the only one without a beard.

"Wait!" Thorin cried, stepping directly in front of her.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?"

"Thorin…."

"… son of Thrain son of Thror, King Under the Mountain," recited the repulsive goblin. Suddenly his attitude completely changed. "Oh but I'm forgetting, you do not have a mountain and that makes you… nobody really."

Kylie saw Thorin tense. Even if she didn't notice that, she would have felt Fili and Kili stiffen beside her.

The obese goblin gave a cruel smile that made her blood curdle. "I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head," he said, touching Thorin's throat. He laughed as the dwarf took a step back. "Oh just your head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak. A pale orc, astride a white warg!"

If Thorin had grown still before, that was nothing compared to his posture now. The dwarf king stood as still as a statue as he replied: "Azog the Defiler is no more. He was slain in battle long ago!"

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" smiled the repulsive goblin. "Send word to the pale orc. Tell him, I have found his prize."

There was just something in the way the detestable creature said it that made Kylie believe it, despite what Thorin claimed. Even more, the idea was sickening. Just the idea of a giant pale orc, which was something she'd never seen in all her time in Middle Earth, wanting to dismember the king of dwarves…. Her stomach clenched and she leaned lightly on Kili.

Unfortunately, her movement seemed to attract the repugnant goblin's attention. "What is this? Clearly no dwarf…." Kylie struggled as the goblins removed her hood. "Well what have we here? It appears that the 'king under the mountain' brought us a little prize."

"She stays with us," growled Thorin in front of her.

"Is that what you say? We know the stubbornness of dwarves. If you won't talk, maybe she will!"

A struggle commenced. Kylie tried to fight the goblins away from her, but the continued to swarm. But when she could no longer fight, the dwarves held onto her tightly. A little game of tug-a-war commenced with poor Kylie stuck in the middle.

And in the midst of all of this, the oversized goblin was singing. "Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung! You will die down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin Town!"

He was worse than all of the other goblins combined.

Suddenly, a goblin shrieked. Any other time Kylie would have thought it was a good thing, but at this very moment it was terrifying.

The revolting goblin hopped onto his throne. "I know that sword! Biter, the Goblin Cleaver! Kill them, just kill them all! And cut off his head!"

The struggle intensified. Now the fight became every man, woman, and dwarf for his or herself. The two sides actually dropped Kylie, forgetting about her for a moment. She knew it would be her one chance to retrieve any sort of weapon. She crawled under goblin and dwarf alike to reach their pile. When she did, she did not look to see whose weapon she grabbed. She unsheathed the first sword she could find and stabbed the nearest goblin.

But just as that happened, a wave of light knocked her to the ground. She recognized it. Gandalf had arrived.

"Take up arms," said the old wizard from the middle of the platform. "Fight!"

Kylie needed no further encouragement. She took a little extra time to find her actual weapons. Her bow would be no use right now, but thankfully Dwalin had been working a lot with her sword. She hacked her way to the end of the platform where everybody else was running.

Chaos erupted, and not just in the immediate area. It was as if the entire mountain had awoken and would do everything to swallow them whole. There were literally goblins crawling on the ceiling to reach them.

But it could still not be worse than Moria. As long as there was no Balrog, they should make it.

"We have to go!" she cried. "Gandalf, where?"

He was on the other end of the platform, but he pointed in her direction. "Go! That way! Do not stop!"

And Kylie didn't. She ran across the platform, never straying from the direction the gray wizard had pointed to. She had to duck over and over to avoid arrows, but she crossed the first platform without incident. The second one, however, was a different story. She tripped on the platform and rolled halfway down. Fili pulled her to her feet and she continued her run.

"Stop!" cried Fili. Dozens of goblins with bows landed on the platform.

"Cover us!" bellowed Gloin as he raced forward. Kylie obliged. It was just like old times. She fired at goblins as Gimli's father raced forward and cleared a path. Kili stood beside her, shooting the remainders.

"Come on!" Fili led the way, sword drawn, and she stayed close behind, stopping every once in a while to shoot a goblin.

At least until the swinging platform. Bofur helped her on, but she had to jump off alone. The landing was hard, but not bad enough for her to be slowed too much. Kylie stood up and reached back into her quiver, but then her face fell. She could only feel four or five arrows left in her quiver. They had to last her until Erebor. She put her bow away and pulled out her sword. She stood beside Gandalf and continued to fight the goblins.

Then they crossed the bridge. There were too many on either side. Kylie just held her sword with both hands, tightly. No matter how good she was, which she wasn't, there was no way they would make it out of this. Her theory was confirmed when the Great Goblin appeared out of nowhere.

"You thought you could escape me?" he roared, challenging Gandalf. The Gray Wizard swung his gleaming sword and missed the creature. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" he laughed, but his blow missed too.

Then Gandalf slashed him in the stomach. Then the throat. The monstrous beast fell dead.

Kylie was about to rejoice when she felt the bridge cracking underneath them. "Oh no…."

It snapped.

She screamed all the way down. And she was not alone. The bridge, or the part they were on, slid to the bottom of the caves at breakneck speed. All she could do was brace herself against the top and try not to be thrown off.

Then just as soon as they started, they stopped. Kylie literally lost all the air in her lungs, but they were no longer falling. Where they still alive? She breathed in dust and debris. Her lungs protested and she coughed violently. That didn't feel dead.

"Well," said Bofur optimistically, "that could have been worse."

Then a two-ton goblin fell right on top of them.

"You have got to be joking!" yelled Dwalin from underneath.

Kylie let out a breath. She was inches away from where the goblin ended up. If she had slid a little this way or that, she would be dead. But she shook her head and climbed down from the platform.

"Ow, lassie!" cried a voice.

"Sorry Dori," she said, quickly removing her boot from the top of his finely braided head.

"Down you go!" Thorin pulled her down the rest of the way. In turn, Kylie helped Fili and Ori get free from their trap.

"GANDALF!" cried Kili.

Kylie looked up from helping Bofur. Hundreds of goblins were climbing down the ravine and heading right towards them. She reached towards her bow.

"Not now!" cried the wizard. "Only one thing will save us now: daylight! Run!"

Kylie did not hesitate. The path, while long, was clear now. She ran straight ahead and nearly cried in relief as they hit the sun. Eventually, when the company did slow, she collapsed on the ground, panting. They made it. Against all odds, they all made it out.

Gandalf numbered them off. "Thorin one… Dori, Nori, Ori… Fili, Kili… we're at six… Dwalin and Balin… Bifer? Ah I see you… Bofur, Bombur, Gloin Oin… and Kylie makes fourteen."

"Gandalf, we now number fifteen," said Thorin slowly.

The wizard's eyes widened. "Where is Bilbo? Where is our hobbit?"

A/N: Well hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm going to be on vacation for a few days, so I will probably not be able to update for another week or so. So see you later, and please give me your input!


	12. Chapter 12: The Defiler

Ch. 12: The Defiler

The dwarves all looked around in panic. Fili and Kili both looked behind themselves rather comically, as if one had given Bilbo a piggy-back without consent.

"He was with Dori last," pointed Bofur.

"Don't blame me!" cried the dwarf indignantly.

"Where did you last see him?" asked Gandalf urgently.

"I think he slipped away when they first cornered us," said Nori.

"So is he back in there, or is he somewhere in the mountains?" gasped Kylie. Bilbo was the key to… to everything! He just couldn't be lost.

Thorin shook his head. "He has been more trouble than use so far. He has thought of nothing but his comfy bed and armchair since he left home."

"If we have to go back into those abominable tunnels and search for him, then drat him I say!" added Dwalin harshly.

"I brought him, and I do not bring things that are of no use!" insisted Gandalf.

"If he's still in there, then we've got to try to find him," said Kylie quietly. She stood up slowly. "I'm going back." She was here to save her friends from the evil of the ring. That would not happen if the ringbearer never had the chance to find the ring.

Thorin grasped her arm. "The hobbit is long gone, I would not bother," he said angrily.

"No, no he isn't," said a small voice. Kylie turned around to see little Bilbo Baggins staring up at all of them.

"Bilbo!" she cried simultaneously with Thorin's nephews. Relief rushed through her. Surprisingly enough, it was not just for the sake of the ring. She realized that she had grown to appreciate the hobbit himself. She was glad he was safe for his own sake.

"Bless me Bilbo, I do not believe I have been happier to see anyone in my entire life!" exclaimed Gandalf.

"How did you get past the goblins?" asked Ori.

"What does it matter?" answered Gandalf quickly. "He's back!"

"It matters," insisted Thorin. "I want to know: why did you come back?"

Bilbo shifted. Kylie saw how uncomfortable he looked and so she stood by him for support. "I know you all doubt me, I do. And Thorin's right, I do miss my books and my armchair." Thorin looked slightly ashamed when Bilbo said this. So Bilbo had heard every word. "See that is my home. And that's why I came back: because you don't have one. But I'll help you get it back if I can."

Kylie looked around the dwarves. She knew that many of them thought the hobbit more of a pain than any use. But she knew they valued loyalty more than anything. So if any of them still thought the hobbit was a pain, at least he was a loyal one. And that meant he was worth keeping around.

Then the howls started.

"Out of the frying pan…" started Thorin.

"… And into the fire. Run. Run!"

At the wizard's words, the company broke into a sprint. Kylie was worn. They had run all the way through the Misty Mountains, and now they were expected to run even further. An evil little voice in her head suggested that she should stop and take her chances if it meant she could sit.

"Don't stop!" urged Balin.

Never mind.

"There's no place! We're cornered!" screamed Ori.

"The trees, the trees!" cried Gandalf.

Kylie was about to climb when she noticed how Bilbo was struggling to remove his sword from a warg's head.

"Bilbo!" she cried, rushing towards him. She took ahold of his sword and tried to pull it from the head. But it was lodged in tight.

"What is this thing's head made of?" the girl cried. "Bilbo, we need to tug together!" He grabbed the top of the hilt and Kylie grabbed the bottom. She grabbed the bottom, covering her hand with some mail and they pulled together. The sword came out, but her hand felt warm and sticky. Clearly she did not cover as much of her hand as she'd thought. But thanks to adrenaline, she barely felt it.

"Up in the trees!" cried somebody.

"Come on!" Kylie lifted Bilbo up to Dori's waiting arms. The she raced to the back tree with Gandalf and ascended faster than she'd ever climbed anything before.

"Come, stay up here," said the wizard.

She crawled as close as she could. "So what do we do now?"

He looked very solemn. "We pray that the wargs will simply stand guard."

"Simply?"

For a short time, the wargs did seem to be content to pace and watch. Then she heard evil laughter. The goblins had arrived.

"No," whispered Gandalf, staring at the wargs in horror.

Kylie looked too. At first she noticed nothing notable. But then she took a closer look. These weren't goblins. They were much larger, muscular, and uglier. These were orcs. They dismounted their wargs and drew their long, crooked swords. In the back, standing on an elevated rock, stood a white blob. It took her a minute to be able to make it out, but it was a white warg. It was at least twice as large as most of the others and… now Kylie was far away, but it looked like it had red eyes. On top was a large white orc. He was covered in scars and his right arm was missing. In its place was a spiked beam.

"That is Azog, the Defiler," explained Gandalf. "The Pale Orc, among the worst of his kind. He once swore to remove the line of Durin. He killed Thror, and I have reason to believe he is responsible for the death of Thrain. Are you familiar with either of those names?"

"Thorin's father?"

"And grandfather. Unless we can receive some form of help we are all in grave danger. Especially Thorin."

Kylie nodded. She tried to think of anything that she could do. She felt so useless….

Suddenly she heard creaking and cracking and cries. The wargs were jumping up the trees! The wargs were attacking! The trees were beginning to break! She reached back for her bow, but that nearly sent her tumbling to the wargs below. She held onto the tree tightly and tried just to breathe.

The first tree snapped and fell on top of another. Then another collapsed. Then a third. Dwarves were flying onto their tree like squirrels. Kylie had to scramble closer to the top just to avoid being hit by her friends. Then fire erupted below. The wizard was throwing little balls of fire to the forest below.

Pinecones?

"Fili!" called Gandalf. A flaming pinecone fell through the trees into the young dwarf's outstretched hand. Fili lit another for Bilbo and both hit their targets. Kylie really wanted to throw a pinecone, but she just could not let go of the tree.

Not that it mattered anyway. Soon the entire forest was ablaze. Kylie laughed in relief as the wargs slowly backed away. They were out of immediate danger. Was the fire close? Yes. Would it provide a problem in the near future? Sure. But they no longer had wargs jumping up their trees, and that was cause to celebrate. And they did! They cheered. Azog's forces could not get closer. They would survive the night!

Then screams. Kylie could feel the vibrations in her fingers as the tree finally cracked. She held on for dear life as the tree fell over the edge of the cliff. Just then it stopped. She inhaled roughly. She was alive! More than that, she was on top of the tree. But some were not so lucky.

"Mister Gandalf!" cried Dori. Gandalf barely lowered his staff in time or Dori to catch it. Dori and Ori were saved, but Gandalf would be completely unable to do anything else.

Kylie inched along the tree. They had to get off, and they had to do it soon! She never paid much attention in physics (she didn't even _like_ physics), but she knew there was too much weight on the tree. It couldn't support them all, and it would fall. It didn't take a physicist to figure that out. She stopped to help Fili regain some footing so he could leave too when they both heard screaming around them.

"Thorin!"

"No!"

Then a horrible pain-filled scream filled the air.

Kylie turned toward the scream. Thorin had gone out to fight Azog, but it had gone horrendously wrong. When she looked over, the white warg had him in its mouth and was shaking him mercilessly. The dwarf was crying in a way that no dwarf should cry. She watched in horror as the warg tossed him aside. Shock set in and her muscles refused to move.

But not everybody had frozen. Bilbo had gotten off the tree and was scrambling in the dwarf king's direction.

"Help me!" yelled Fili urgently. His voice brought Kylie back to reality. She reached towards him and he climbed up her and raced off the tree. Kili had also found a foothold and ran to catch up with his brother. And Dwalin had managed to get to the edge, but at least he dragged Kylie off the tree first. It took her a moment to recover, but she stood up and reached for her bow.

She aimed at the first thing she saw. The first thing that entered her line of sight was the pale orc. Her eyes went wide. He was bearing down on Bilbo! The poor hobbit lay hopelessly on the ground, staring at what he knew would likely be his death. Not if Kylie Turney could help it. She pulled back and fired.

But she didn't take close enough aim. Instead of hitting the orc, she hit the warg. The arrow landed right above his front leg, but it was not a lethal hit. The warg cried out and the orc turned. He saw the arrow, and then he saw the archer. He growled and turned to attack. She tried to grab another arrow, but it slipped through her hands. The warg leapt. It overshot, but the creature's paw struck her head. Kylie was already trying to duck so the blow itself wasn't bad, but the momentum threw her directly under the warg. Its hind legs landed on her as it skipped to regain its balance. Kylie cried out in pain. It felt like her side was on fire. But she couldn't stop. Hesitation meant death; she knew that much. Slowly, Kylie rolled onto her stomach and tried to find Azog. The orc was glaring at her, brandishing a sword. Kylie reached for her bow only to find that it was smashed.

Then the unexpected happened. A giant shape flew over, throwing Azog off his warg. The warg itself snapped, jumping at the shape, but it was thrown against a tree.

Then Kylie screamed. Not because of anything Azog or his warg did, or even because of her new injury. One second she was lying flat on the ground. The next she was ascending hundreds of feet in the air. She struggled and cried.

"If you don't stop that, I may drop you," said a regal voice. Kylie looked up. She was being carried by a giant eagle.

A/N: Well I managed to get another off before vacation. Yay! See all of you soon, and good luck on any of your story endeavors!


	13. Chapter 13: Rest and Recovery

Ch. 13: Rest and Recovery

She may have passed out once or twice on the ride there, but she didn't really feel like complaining. She was exhausted and in pain, but whenever she passed out she was able to forget. Kylie barely even noticed when the eagle set her down, but the dwarves were only paying attention to a very still figure on the steppe's edge. It was Thorin. He was completely unresponsive. Like he was dead already. Kylie hadn't realized it was that bad… but Gandalf was already there, so that had to be a good sign.

Right?

The wizard was chanting softly. Kylie had seen it once before, but she didn't relax until the dwarf king's eyes fluttered open.

"The Halfling?" he asked softly.

"It's all right! Bilbo is here," assured the wizard.

Thorin stood up slowly. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin tried to help, but Thorin's stupid dwarf pride would not let them. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" he bellowed at poor Bilbo.

The hobbit's face fell, and Kylie stood more upright. How dare he, after what Bilbo risked for him?

"Did I not say that you would be a burden, that you would not survive in the wild and that you have no place amongst us?" Poor Bilbo had never looked so downcast, and Kylie probably would have intervened if not for what happened next. "I've never been so wrong in all my life." Thorin gave the hobbit the biggest hug she had ever seen. "And I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Oh no, I would have doubted me too," said Bilbo quickly. "I'm no warrior. Not even a proper burglar."

Thorin nodded and pat the hobbit.

Bilbo smiled, but his face melted into a mix of confusion and awe. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, pointing directly behind the company.

Everybody turned around. There was a certain wistfulness over all the dwarves' faces, and that was when Kylie finally understood. A single mountain in the distance. One solitary peak. It could only be one thing.

"Erebor. The Lonely Mountain," announced Gandalf for Kylie and Bilbo's benefits.

"Our home," said Thorin softly.

"Look!" shouted Oin. "A sparrow! The birds are returning to the mountains!"

Gandalf laughed. "That, my dear Oin, is a Thrush."

"Well we'll take it as a sign. A good omen."

"Indeed," added Bilbo. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

"Aye," said Bofur, "there's just the small matter of a dragon at the end."

Everybody turned to him. There went the moment.

"And our current predicament," said Gandalf. "I did always mean to see you all safe over the mountains, and now by good management and good luck, I have done so. Indeed, we are a good deal further east than I ever meant to come with you…."

"You mean to leave us?" cried Ori desperately.

"Yes. Oh no, not right this minute!" he inserted before the dwarves could verbally protest. "I intend to help you out of your present plight! You currently have no supplies and very few weapons so to speak! Not to mention, a number of you are injured." It was true. Many of the company members were sporting some impressive cuts and bruises. "Very few people live in these parts, but I know somebody who may be willing to give us aid."

"By all means, lead us on," said Thorin.

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It grew increasingly obvious that certain members of the company would be unable to go on much longer. Dwalin was nursing a cut right below his elbow, and Dori was physically unable to move his arms. However, Kylie and Thorin were clearly the worst off. Thorin was unwilling to show how much his injuries were affecting him, but he was not walking as fast and had a slight limp. The entire company walked at a slower rate to spare his feelings.

Kylie just walked slowly. Her head did hurt a bit, but even worse was her side where the warg landed on her. It was hard to breathe and each step made her entire body ache. She tried to just take shorter breaths, but in the end that only made her dizzy. The athlete in her told her she had to just take the pain and breathe normally. In the end, she fell a decent way behind the rest of the company. Bilbo, bless him, fell back with her.

"I saw what you did," he said suddenly. "Back there."

"Can you be more specific?" she asked.

The hobbit shivered. "The pale orc. I thought I was going to die… but… anyways, I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

"Anytime," she said softly.

"Are you well? You look rather pale."

She did? Great… so there was no point in lying then. "The warg hit me, but I'll be fine when we reach whoever Gandalf's talking about." She just hoped they'd hurry up and get there.

Although Kylie spoke very calmly, Bilbo panicked. "Are you all right?" he practically shouted, inspecting her for injuries. Unfortunately, he poked exactly where the warg had landed and her chest exploded in pain. Kylie hissed and grabbed her side. "Gandalf!"

That got the entire company's attention. "What happened?" demanded a very pale Thorin Oakenshield.

"I'm fine," Kylie insisted, clenching her teeth. Her mind was spinning. The first time she'd gotten seriously hurt, she ended up in Rohan alone. Then the last time she was injured, she died. While she knew (or seriously hoped) this wasn't fatal, the idea of being left anywhere terrified her. She'd never be able to destroy the ring if she couldn't continue now! "Let's just get to the house. Gandalf, how far is it?" She asked a little too desperately,

"Several miles at least," said the wizard. "But if memory serves me well, there is a river close by. If we could make it there, we would have water to care for all of our injuries."

"Very well," said Thorin. "Come with me," he said, helping Kylie to lean on him.

They heard a splash off in the distance, accompanied by cries. Fili flew through the trees, only pausing when he saw the scene. "What happened?"

Barely seconds later, Kili caught up. He was soaked to the bone, and was clearly hunting his brother.

"I see you two found the river?" asked Thorin.

"Looks like they brought some of it with them," chuckled Bofur.

"Yes, Kili found the river," said Fili. Kili proceeded to glare at his brother, but it was all in good nature.

"Then let us go! It is shallow enough for most of us," said Gandalf, using his staff to clear the way. They all walked over, but Kylie noticed how Fili was making a point to stay far away from both the river and his brother.

Thorin set Kylie down. "Stay there. Oin, inspect her wounds."

"And your wounds, your majesty?" he yelled.

"Begin with Ms. Turney and that is an order."

"You know, I will be fine for a few more minutes…" inserted Kylie.

"No."

"Thorin, I agree," said Balin gently. "You are immensely lucky to be alive. If you have serious wounds and they are aggravated, it would slow down our quest considerably."

Thorin agreed, but he glared at Balin as he removed his armor. Then he glared at Kylie as he removed his shirt and had his wounds checked. Then he glared at Oin as the deaf dwarf cleaned and bandaged his injuries.

"There Your Majesty!" the dwarf said loudly. "Now you should rest for three to five weeks, and perhaps consider…."

"Thank you Oin, perhaps I will take that into consideration when we reach civilization!" Thorin said testily. "Go see to your other patients."

"Yes sire!" yelled Oin. He approached Kylie next. "Now lassy, tell me what happened."

Kylie sighed. There was no way of telling the deaf dwarf without alerting the entire company and everybody within a ten mile radius. "A warg stepped on me!" she said, just loud enough for Oin to hear.

"The white warg!" added Bilbo 'helpfully'.

Kylie focused on Oin as he gently felt around her torso, focusing on her ribcage. Unfortunately, this was where it hurt most. Tears fell as she hissed in pain. She had to be strong. She knew these dwarves had very little toleration for weakness. "I cannot tell if these ribs are cracked or merely bruised, and I will be unable to tell without further examination."

"Further examination? As in…." Oin's nod confirmed her fear. Hell no. She was not about to go shirtless in front of the company.

"So lass, if you would," Oin yelled, motioning towards her upper torso.

Kylie made no such motion. Instead, she opted to give a glare reminiscent of Thorin. Or she tried to. Judging by the snickering in the background, it wasn't working. Ironically, it was Thorin himself who came to her rescue.

Sort of.

"Kili, Fili, perhaps you should go find some kindling for a fire."

"But Uncle, we want to help!" cried Fili.

"Now."

The brothers stood awkwardly still until Fili realized what was happening. He whispered something to Kili, who turned bright red and followed his brother into the woods.

"Ori, come with me. We need water from the river. Let's take whatever pots and pans we have left and collect some, shall we?" said Nori. Of course, wherever Ori and Nori went, Dori followed. And Bilbo had the decency to focus on a nasty scratch on Dwalin's arm. So Kylie would only have to be shirtless in front of half the company. Great.

"Come on lass, we need to heal you up," said Gloin, who helped her sit up. Kylie reluctantly removed her belt, then her chainmail, then her shirt. She thanked God repeatedly that she had decided to keep her bra.

The dwarves winced when they looked at her ribs. "Is it really that bad?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer.

"Trampled by a warg, were we?" said Oin casually as he examined her injuries.

"Sure," said Kylie.

"Not bad considering. A few of these are bruised, and I would say one is cracked," Oin shouted as he wrapped her ribs. "You will need to stay off it for a time."

"Alright, I will try not to walk on my chest" snapped Kylie, immediately grabbing her chainmail.

"Now for the rest of you," said the old dwarf, who was examining her head. "No concussion there, but what did you do with your hand?"

"Honestly, I don't remember."

"Was it Azog?" They all turned towards Thorin, who had finally decided to speak.

"Oh no, it wasn't that. He missed me."

"Yet you challenged his warg."

"Saved my life," said Bilbo, who was still awkwardly cleaning Dwalin's wound.

Thorin nodded, just staring at Kylie. He was trying to size her up again, given this new and rather unexpected information. She'd experienced this kind of gaze before, both at home and here in Middle Earth, but Thorin brought it to a new intensity. Truthfully, it made Kylie a little uncomfortable.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! And for those of you who asked about my vacation, it was great! And to Guest/Durin's Heir: I'm going bookverse on Aragorn. According to the appendix in Return of the King, he was 10-years-old at the time of the Hobbit, and that was the age I tried to write him as. But you're right. If he's 87 in the LOTR events, and if the hobbit really was 60 years before, that would put him at 27. But Kylie's not much of a mathematician so she's going to be estimating on the years, but hopefully the estimation will get a little more accurate on occasion. Thanks for pointing it out!


	14. Chapter 14: Beorn

Ch. 14: Beorn

They crossed the river as soon as everybody with injuries had been looked after. Thorin insisted on carrying Bilbo across, but Kili grabbed the hobbit and ran across before anybody knew what was happening.

"I owe Master Bilbo some gratitude for his bravery!" he yelled from across the shore.

Thorin just grunted. He helped Kylie regain her footing, but Dwalin interfered. "You need to look after yourself," he said, pulling the human girl to him.

"I am responsible for the wellbeing of this company," said Thorin. Surprisingly, there was no edge to his voice.

"Aye, but a little delegation never hurt anybody," said Balin, approaching the three. "You always seem more than happy to do it whenever we break for camp."

"That is different."

"And when Kili and I 'borrowed' five ponies from Bree," added Fili.

Thorin simply glared, but Fili continued. "That was a night to remember," he told Kylie. "You see, we weren't even supposed to be in Bree…."

"Gandalf, where are you leading us?" interrupted Thorin.

"I was wondering when you might ask," said Gandalf. "The somebody I spoke of – a great person. You must all be very polite when I introduce you. I shall introduce you slowly, two-by-two I think; and you must be careful not to annoy him, or heaven knows what will happen."

"But who is he?" asked Kylie. Even with Dwalin's support and the bandages, her ribs ached.

"If you must know, his name is Beorn. He is very strong, and he is a skin-changer."

"A what?"

"What! A man who calls rabbits coneys and…."

"Good gracious heavens, no, no, no, NO! Don't be a fool Mr. Baggins if you can help it; and in the name of all wonder don't mention the word furrier again as long as you are within a hundred miles of his house. He is a skin-changer. He changes his skin: sometimes he is a huge black bear, sometimes he is a great strong black-haired man with huge arms and a giant beard. I cannot tell you more, though that ought to be enough."

"And he will be a man when we go there, right?" asked Kylie. That name sounded familiar, although she was not sure where she would have heard of such a person before.

"Almost certainly, although we can never tell. That is why I will be going first, alone."

"Alone?" asked Thorin.

"Well, I suppose I could take Mr. Baggins with me."

Bilbo yelped.

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They walked a little further. Eventually, the forest became less dense and they entered pastures. From the pastures, they came across bee hives. Kylie squeaked as a giant bee, easily the size of her hand, flew past her.

"Scared of a few bees, are you lass?" teased Dwalin.

"Didn't you see those things?" she gasped.

"Aye, just a few honey-makers they are," said Bofur. "Nothing to be afraid of."

"I fell into a beehive when I was seven. It didn't end well."

"Why would you do such a thing?" asked Bilbo, who clearly felt the same way about those bees.

"I had no sense of coordination."

"That reminds me of a time Thorin…."

"Kili."

The young dwarf just smiled. "I can tell you later if you want," he promised.

"Do that and your uncle will hurl you into one of these beehives himself," promised Dwalin.

"This is where I depart," said the wizard.

"You leave us in a bee field?" asked Thorin. Based on his tone, Kylie had a feeling he'd rather face Azog again than be touched by one of those bees. But he'd never admit it.

"Just mind that nobody touches a hive. If you ignore them, they'll ignore you." Bullshit, Kylie thought. "Mr. Baggins, come with me. As for everybody else, when I call or whistle begin to come after me – you will see the way I go – but only in pairs and at five minute intervals. There is a gate 'round this way, Master Baggins!"

The wizard left and Thorin turned to the company. "When he calls, I will go first. Dori, you come with me. You are a fair judge of character; I want you signal to me if this man cannot be trusted."

"And if that happens?" asked the gray-haired dwarf.

Thorin nodded. It was a fair question. "We grab Mr. Baggins and leave."

Dori took a minute to consider. "Only if my brothers follow."

"Very well, Nori and Ori you will follow at the next interval. Then Kylie and Dwalin. I want you two there next. Balin and Fili shall follow, no Kili don't even think about it," Thorin added before his nephew could make a snide comment. "You shall come next with Gloin. Oin and Bofur can come next, and Bombur you will bring Bifer. And for Durin's sake, make sure he does nothing to offend this man." Here, Thorin lowered his voice. "I cannot emphasize the desperate situation we are in. Whoever he is, we are in need of his hospitality."

Just then, a shrill whistle filled the air. Thorin and Dori walked forward, leaving the rest behind.

"I don't like this, I don't like this at all," muttered Ori. But another whistle beckoned him and his brother forward.

"You ready lass?" asked Balin, who was helping Kylie return to his much larger brother.

"Ready to get away from these bees," she mumbled.

"Then come!" said Dwalin, supporting the injured woman on his side.

Kylie nearly gasped as they approached the house. All of her companions were sitting around the largest man Kylie had ever seen, including senior football stars who clearly used steroids daily. He was several feet taller than Gandalf, but had the muscle density of Thorin and Dwalin together. Or maybe Dwalin and a half. She tried desperately not to stare and offend him, but it was hard.

"Dwalin, son of Fundin, at your service," he said, bowing low.

"Kylie Turney, at your service," Kylie tried, trying to curtsey. It didn't work. She ended up sliding on the floor, landing right on her butt.

At first, the large man frowned. That scared Kylie more than almost anything on this journey had so far. But then his large, hairy face broke into sudden fits of laughter. And when Kylie turned to Dwalin, she saw why. He was now bowing so low that he was about to topple over himself. The braid on the back of his head was almost able to touch the ground.

"Troop, was right," he said finally, his voice booming. "A fine comic one. Come you two, you should really watch your step missy! Dangerous perils, my house!" he cried, laughing at his own joke. Then he turned to the wizard. "Now go on again!"

Gandalf looked surprisingly pleased. "Where was I? O yes – I was not grabbed. I had been trailing the company for some time due to a personal delay. But by good fortune I caught up right as they were taken into the pit. I killed a goblin or two…."

"Good!" growled Beorn. "It is some good being a wizard, then."

"… and slipped inside the crack before it closed. I followed down into the main hall, which was crowded with goblins. The Great Goblin was there with thirty or forty armed guards. I thought to myself, even if they were armed, what can a dozen do against so many?"

"A dozen! That's the first time I've heard eight called a dozen. Or have you still got some more jacks that haven't yet come out of their boxes?"

Confused, Kylie turned to Ori and Nori. They were blushing furiously.

"Well yes, there seem to be a couple more here now – Fili and Balin, I believe."

"That's enough! Sit down and be quiet! Now go on, Gandalf."

Kylie was legitimately not sure whether to be happy Beorn was so enthralled in the story or nervous that he seemed to care very little about the introductions.

"Well I found an opportunity to sneak closer, and I was able to conjure up a little flash. That gave us a chance to grab out weapons and fight. I shall admit that I was nervous about my hasty plan, but we all escaped the throne room. Despite the odds, we fared well until the Great Goblin cut us off at one of the bridges. But then I discovered his weakness: vanity. I used this to strike my final blow."

"Ah! Killed the Great Goblin? Killed the Great Goblin! I should think twice before I write off my next wizard," laughed Beorn.

Gandalf looked pleased with himself. "We made it out and counted ourselves, but there was a problem. We counted ourselves and found that there was no hobbit. There were only fifteen of us left!"

"Fifteen! That's the first time I've heard one from ten leave fifteen. You mean nine, or else you haven't told me yet all the names of your party."

"Well of course you haven't seen Kili and Gloin. And bless me, here they are. I hope you will forgive them for bothering you."

"O let 'em all come! Hurry up! Come along, you two, and sit down! But look here, Gandalf, even now we have only got yourself, nine dwarves, a young human, a hobbit that was lost. That only makes eleven and not fifteen, unless wizards count differently to other people. But now please get on with the tale."

"And you would not believe it, but our hobbit literally appeared in the clearing! Needless to say we were much relieved, but it was short-lived. You see, and even I was not completely aware of this, but we had been hunted since Rivendell. We heard numerous wargs in the distance. We retreated; I knew there was nothing even our fair sized company could do against so many wargs."

"Yes. Twelve against wargs. Horrible odds."

"Actually, I have a few more to introduce. It seems that Oin and Bofur have arrived."

"Ah! So fifteen! Sit down while Master Gandalf finishes the story."

"We really had nothing to do except climb the trees. It was then we discovered the identity of our pursuer. It was Azog, the Defiler."

Beorn growled. "The pale orc! Within the vicinity! If only he chooses to come pay me a visit, he will be the one who is defiled!"

Gandalf and Thorin both nodded solemnly. "We agree, but there was little we could do. I did manage to make some fireworks from pinecones…."

"I wish I had been there! I would have given them more than fireworks!"

"Well, I did the best I could. Azog ordered the wargs to attack the trees, so all sixteen of us ended up in one tree…."

"Sixteen? Now Gandalf, you need to explain your numerical reasoning here! I see thirteen plus you, but certainly not sixteen!"

"Then I really ought to introduce you to Bifer and Bombur. I believe that ought to conclude introductions."

"And what did you do to the orcs?" asked the bear-man.

"Our tree collapsed over the cliff. A few of our number got off to engage the orcs so the rest of us could survive. Fortunately we were rescued by the Great Eagles and carried to the Carrack. Unfortunately many of our company were injured in the attack, but despite everything we have all arrived in one piece!"

The gigantic man stretched out. "A very good tale," he said. "The best I have heard for a long while. If all beggars could tell such a good one, they might find me kinder. You may be making it all up, of course, but you deserve a supper for the story all the same. Let's have something to eat!"

"Yes please!"

A/N: Whew... Numbers! Evil... anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	15. Chapter 15: Queer Lodgings

Ch. 15: Queer Lodgings

It was then that Kylie truly appreciated the genius of Gandalf. They had been warned that Beorn was not particularly receptive to visitors; but apparently give him a good story and he'd transform into a big teddy bear. Even better, Gandalf gave him an interactive story. And the result? The entire company sitting around the man's lavish wooden table, being served by dogs, eating bread and honey.

At first, Kylie was shocked when the animals walked in on two legs. Beorn talked to them somehow… that really sounded pretty weird. She watched in total fascination as the animals passed out their plates, served them, and even cleaned up the mess. Although, she got extremely nervous when the dog got close. She'd never been a dog person, especially when her neighbor owned a Rottweiler.

"I rarely have visitors," said Beorn as Kylie glanced nervously at the greyhound positioning a napkin over her lap. "I suppose you heard of me from Radagast the Brown? He frequents my abode on occasion."

"Of course. He speaks very highly of you," said Gandalf.

Beorn chuckled. "Now he is a wizard. And very fond of animals, likely why we get along. But not so many share our sentiments. That is why so few have heard of me. I'd almost wager none of you have heard of me before!"

"Actually, I think I have," said Kylie. Every eye at the table turned to her. "Some friends told me about you." It had taken time, but the old memories came back. "You're the part-time bear who practically won the Battle of Five armies! They would have lost without you." Several times while Legolas trained her, he would use stories to help illustrate a point. The majority of those stories, at least the ones she remembered at this moment, were in the battle of five armies.

But every single eye at that table (including the serving dog) stared at her. Beorn, however, started to laugh again. "Battle of Five armies? Why would any battle have _five_ armies? You really do have a funny one on your hands, Master Oakenshield!"

"Funny," repeated Thorin slowly.

Gandalf leaned over to Kylie and whispered very softly. "I believe no such battle has happened yet."

Kylie turned bright red and was determined to stay silent forever.

"Humor aside, what brings you to my humble abode? Other than the goblins of course!" laughed Beorn.

At length, Thorin answered. "We travel to reclaim the lost city of Erebor," he said.

"Erebor. I have heard many a tale of the magnificent city… although I heard of its destruction decades ago."

Thorin nodded, his eyes flashing. "Smaug attacked us, destroying our home and slaughtering our people in the process."

"Never been fond of the Great Drakes," admitted Beorn. "They only have one thing in their stony hearts: gold. All they care about. Unnatural, if you ask me."

"Yes," said Thorin slowly.

"But indeed the wonders of Erebor are breathtaking," said Balin. "There was such beauty, and not just in gold. Our people harvested some of the most precious gems ever known in the land."

"Indeed," said Beorn, leaning his giant head on his giant hand.

"Indeed! The most marvelous was the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain. It was discovered only a few years before the dragon came, but it was the centerpiece of the city."

The dwarves continued to talk like this for a long time, telling Beorn of the wonders of the mountain. Ironically enough, they all seemed to involve gold or jewels or forging for said gold and jewels. Beorn looked like he could care less, but did not interrupt. At least, not until it was very dark.

"Well my guests, you are more than welcome to stay the night! Don't mind me; I will just be leaving for a short time. I will be back… oh... I'll be back when I come back. And you are welcome to take advantage of my pantry and my healing cabinet. Just ask the ponies if you need anything. Oh! And do not leave the house at night, for your own good. It be your peril if you decide to disobey. Good night my guests!" With that, the man left.

"Well, that was fast," said Nori.

"Aye," agreed Balin. "Well, we should all find a place to sleep."

"I think I found something!" called Bilbo from across the hall. "Look!"

The dwarves and the human walked over to find sixteen already made mattresses on the other side of the house. Kylie bounced lightly on one. "I like this," she cried, lying down.

"Good! You need to lie down for those ribs!" yelled Oin.

"We all need to lie down," said Thorin, "And nobody goes outside until morning."

As it turned out, that would be much harder than Kylie could anticipate. She had another nightmare. She shook herself awake just as the Witch-King had his hand around her throat once more. Exhausted, she tried to lie back down. Eventually she did go back to sleep, but her struggles did not go unnoticed.

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Kylie was one of the first ones up the next morning. To her (and the dwarves') surprise, the table was covered with honey and butter and bread and cakes. Thee dwarves practically pounced on the table while Kylie herself stumbled over, still exhausted from the night before. The dreams haunted her all night to the point where it was extremely difficult to rest. Her chest started to ache and she wrapped her arms around herself.

Unfortunately, the dwarves also saw.

"Kylie! Are you alright?" asked Ori sweetly.

"They're fine." Of course she had forgotten about them until that point.

"You should be resting," said Thorin firmly.

"I thought we were," she answered, sitting down and grabbing a honey cake before the plate would be emptied.

"Oy! Be sure to save some for Bilbo!" cried Bofur, stuffing a second plate.

"Hey!" cried Kili, who had clearly just woken up. Kylie just watched as he dove past his uncle for the last honey cake. But Thorin's reflexes were much faster, and he grabbed said cake before Kili even had a chance. "Thorin! Not fair!" he cried as Thorin ate the honey cake, with the trace of a smile on his face.

"Here Kili, I have one you can have," said Fili, tossing it up and down. "That is, if you can catch it." He tossed the honey cake to Kylie who caught it just in time.

"Great! HEY!" She cried as the youngest dwarf bounded for her. She barely had time to toss the honey cake to Bofur before Kili nearly tackled her to the ground.

"No attacking my patients!" bellowed Oin.

"Ay, let the lad eat his food," said Bofur, who threw the honey cake to Kili.

"But remember," said Balin, eyeing Fili and Kili, "we are esteemed guests in this man's house. We need to treat it with respect."

"We ought to appreciate it to the fullest!" said Bombur, who still had food in his mouth.

"And where is our esteemed host at this hour?" asked Fili, who helped himself to a dab of honey.

"He said he was going out, and whatever he chooses to do is his own business," said Thorin. "You may all do what you wish, but remember to stay on the property. Unless we can receive word of Azog's whereabouts, we are not safe."

Thorin had more to say, but Kylie was distracted by Kili and Fili sneaking up behind her. "What say you about exploring the grounds today?" asked Fili.

"The grounds?"

"You know: the grounds? The surrounding area?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Then we should probably make our disappearance before Oin orders you back to bed."

Kylie nodded, backing up her chair and making her way towards the door.

"Free!" called Kili, running towards the woods by the house.

"Come on!" cried Fili, offering Kylie a ride on his back. Kylie climbed on hesitantly, but the young dwarf seemed to not have any troubles jogging after his brother, even with the nearly full-grown human on his back. With that, the three youngest members of the company ran into the woods. They didn't care about the consequences or anything like that. For the moment, they were just young people enjoying themselves.

But that didn't last. Eventually, Kylie realized something pretty important. "Where is the house from here?" she asked. Not that she wasn't having fun, but she was starting to get a little tired. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, her ribs were starting to burn.

"Ah, not to worry," said Fili, setting her down. "We're dwarves. We have a natural sense of direction."

"So said my ex," snorted Kylie, "before he had us driving in circles around downtown Seattle."

The two brothers exchanged a glance and shrugged. "Perhaps Kili's sense of direction is underdeveloped, but I am the elder, and by extension the more able brother."

"I think my ex said something like that too," smirked Kylie.

"Besides," added Kili, "who was it who got us lost in the woods back home?"

"We were only lost for a few hours and I was only thirty-five."

"You two do realize that's like middle-aged in human years, right?"

"Are you calling us old?" gasped Kili.

"_Only_ thirty-five?"

"Oh come now, we went over this. We're both about your age."

"We both like a little fun as much as the next dwarf," insisted Kili. "For example…." He grabbed Kylie and threw her. She cried out in fear until she landed in at least three feet of water. Apparently, there was a creek close by.

With an undignified yelp, Fili landed beside her. "I consider that revenge for yesterday!" called the younger dwarf from shore.

"KILI SON OF DIS," screamed Fili, who bounded from the creek after his brother. Barely seconds later, the two rolled back into the creek. The young dwarves had once again managed to get themselves covered in mud and grime. Kylie just stood as far away as she could. She just let the brothers finish their business before she dared get closer.

"You two done?"

"For now," smiled Kili. "Perhaps you can join us next time when your ribs are healed!"

Kylie raised her eyebrow and contorted her face. "I think I'll pass."

The brothers laughed, punching each other affectionately. Kylie liked spending time with them, but she supposed there'd just be some things she'd never understand.

"We should probably get back before we're missed," said Fili.

"Not yet! You two are gross!" said Kylie.

The dwarf princes both looked indignant. "Gross?" asked Kili, allowing the words to roll off his tongue. Maybe they'd never heard that word before, but her tone suggested the exact meaning.

"Don't worry, I think I can help," she said sweetly. She then splashed both the brothers, which led to a long water battle.

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It was at least twenty minutes before they walked back. All the strenuous activity aggravated Kylie's ribs, so the brothers carried her back. So that was how the company found them: Kylie between the two with an arm over each of their shoulders and a one of their hands under each of her legs.

"Where have you been?" asked Balin, who was the first to spot them. "We have been searching for you all morning."

"Sorry Mr. Balin," said Kili, smile on his face. "We just wanted to explore the grounds."

"Well just get inside. Or dry off first! Don't want to ruin the house."

"Oh have a little faith Balin," said Fili. "We weren't going to get anything wet."

"Yes, of course." It was clear the older dwarf didn't believe them. "And what did you do to that girl?" he asked.

"He threw me in!" cried Kylie indignantly, pointing at Kili.

"Did not!" cried the dwarf prince.

"Actually, I believe you did," smirked Fili. "Picked her up and threw her into a creek to be precise."

"What happened?" said a loud voice. Kylie groaned. Oin was walking their way. The dwarf was starting to really get on her nerves. Or his non-functional ears were.

"Nothing. Put me down!" she hissed quietly to the brothers. They quickly released her legs and let her stand to her full height.

"Fili! Kili! Kylie! Where have you three been?" growled a voice behind all of them.

"We wanted to see the grounds," said Kili innocently.

"I told you not to go far," said Thorin.

"We didn't," insisted Kylie. Although truth be told, she had no idea how far they'd gone.

"You three are soaked!" said Bilbo. "I'll be right back with some tea. Tea solves everything!" The hobbit quickly ran off.

"Oh all the irresponsible, foolhardy things you could do!" Thorin said quietly. That deadly quiet tone actually scared Kylie. "You left the home, against the warnings of our host, and without informing any of the company, without permission, with broken ribs," Thorin's glared specifically at Kylie. "Go inside and let Oin tend to your injury."

Kylie let Oin lead her back inside as Fili and Kili stayed with Thorin. The last glimpse she caught of them was discouraging. They looked genuinely upset.

That was the end of the three youngest members' expeditions.


	16. Chapter 16: The Second Leg

Ch. 16: The Second Leg

As promised, the hobbit provided Kylie with a very large cup of tea. She accepted. Truth be told, with enough honey and cream in it, it wasn't too bad.

Oin ordered her to stay in bed the rest of the day. While Kylie didn't exactly stay in bed, she was stuck in the house. All of the dwarves were conspiring to make sure she would heal, which was sweet except for the fact that she was pretty sure the boredom itself was killing her. It was a long day. But the night was longer. Kylie tossed and turned, haunted by the memories of previous battles. So the next morning, she was the first one up. Soon, she was joined by the most unlikely of companions.

"Bilbo?" The hobbit was the last person she expected to be awake.

He nodded and sat down next to her. "You're not sleeping well," he said.

She froze. "What are you talking about…?"

"The past two nights you have woken up obscenely early. You're tired. I know you are," observed the hobbit, shaking his tea cup. "Why have you been having nightmares?"

"I haven't," insisted Kylie, barely able to stifle a yawn.

"The only thing you haven't been doing is sleeping," said Bilbo, pouring himself a cup of tea. "It just worries me. That is all."

"I notice that you're awake with me," Kylie pointed out, trying to turn the subject.

It worked. The hobbit shifted in his seat. "It is possible I have not slept the best the last few nights."

"Really?" She got some tea and honey.

"The fight on the cliff…," The hobbit shook his head. "I hope the pale orc doesn't find us again."

"You and me both," said Kylie.

"I'm no warrior," continued the hobbit. "I have a sword, but until three days ago I'd never used one in my life!"

"You'll get by."

"But I almost didn't."

"And your dreams? What happens?"

Bilbo shrugged. "It was really just last night. We were up on the cliff again, but everybody fell with the tree. I was alone with Thorin and the wargs. The pale orc…." Bilbo stopped. Kylie turned to see Nori at the entrance.

"Good morning." The poor dwarf had no idea why the two stared awkwardly when he entered. Nori just sat next to Bilbo and shrugged.

"Ah, up early, aren't you three?" boomed a great voice.

Kylie literally jumped out of her seat as Beorn walked in and picked up Bilbo. "Looks like little bunny has been well-fed and not eaten by wolves yet!"

The rest of the dwarves had filed in as the large man ate a handful of apples. It was then that he told them he had been out in order to more or less follow up their story.

"Did you find Azog?" asked Thorin urgently.

Beorn nodded. "I picked up a scout. Said the Defiler's been sending out many the past few days. Really wants to find the ones who killed the Great Goblin and his precious warg…."

Kylie nearly choked on her water. "The warg is dead?" asked Dwalin slowly.

"Oh yes. I took the liberty to add it to my collection," said the man, motioning to the wall. This time, Kylie did choke on her water. There were two warg heads with an ugly goblin head mounted in the middle. The goblin and the black warg were bad enough, but the white warg nearly made the girl jump. Especially because barely forty-two hours ago, it had been very much alive. Ready to kill.

"You killed the white warg!" Bilbo whispered to Kylie urgently.

She shook her head. "There's no way…."

"Its neck was broken, and there was an arrow deeply embedded above the leg." Beorn laughed. "The Defiler can't have been too happy about that!"

Bilbo stared wide-eyed. "I didn't kill it; the eagles did," Kylie clarified for the astonished hobbit, but that didn't erase the look of astonishment from his face. Thorin was staring at her too, his face very pensive.

Beorn continued. "Not too pleased, indeed! I have heard little of your dispute with the Defiler, Thorin Oakenshield, but I doubt that the he will give up the hunt. It seems to me that he would follow you to the end of the earth. If you wish to remain undetected for the time being, you ought to depart soon."

"But our injured…" started Balin, but Thorin held up his hand.

"You are right," he said, addressing the host. "We must leave soon if we are to have any hope of surviving the path to Mirkwood. Could we leave before the day's end?"

Beorn nodded. "I will tell you of the safest route. And I will lend you some ponies, under the condition that you send them back at the forests' edge." Beorn whistled. "All fourteen ponies, and two horses, will be outside whenever you are ready. I have packs and bows that you are welcome to take advantage of. Have your companions pack and I will show you the safest route."

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Less than an hour later, the company was packed and ready to go. Oin insisted on patching up the wounded before leaving, and considering the fact that the dwarf was practically livid that they were leaving so early, nobody dared protest. Even Thorin allowed Oin to tend to his wounds with minimum complaint.

"Remember, keep to the path," said Beorn as he loaded up the horse he lent Kylie, caressing it in the process. "If you leave the path, you will never be found again. Also, orcs are unlikely to travel on a path with an elvish blessing. The Defiler is different. He has dark intentions, and you cannot tell what he will plan. There is a strong chance that he will follow, or attempt to cut you off, but least likely that he will follow on the path. Stick to the path and travel as quickly as possible. When you reach the river, it will be much easier to lose any pursuers. But do not forget about the black river within the forest. You must not, under any conditions, touch it. It is enchanted and will put you under its spell."

"Anything else we ought to know?" asked Thorin.

The bear-man shook his head. "Just do not forget to send back the ponies at the edge of the forest. They will be able to find their way back. Best of luck." With that he waved, and practically tossed Kylie onto her horse. She squeaked in terror as she thought she would fly right over the horse.

"This one could use a little more fattening," laughed Beorn, much to Kylie's indignation.

Kylie's face went bright red. Her weight had fluctuated a lot in high school, especially after her coma, but she was very sure she'd never heard anything like that before. She turned to Bilbo. "Did Beorn just call me too thin?"

A/N: Thank you for reading! If you want to know more of the actual plan, read _The Hobbit_. I try to stick with a 3rd Person Limited Narration, so that is what I'm going to do. And even if you don't specifically want to know the plans, read _The Hobbit_. It's a good book.

I've been watching all the hobbit trailers and videos I can find to figure out exactly what direction the next movie's going to go. So from here, it's going to be a combination of book and movie, plus whatever little changes Kylie accidently makes to the plot.

In the meantime, feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you, and good luck with each of your own story endeavors!


	17. Chapter 17: The Race to Mirkwood

Ch. 17: The Race to Mirkwood

Kylie's opened her eyes, panting.

The dreams were getting worse. It was as if every step towards Mirkwood intensified the horrors that lived within her mind. She knew she'd have to cope, but she had no idea how they were getting worse. There was no good reason unless...

Luckily, Ori did not notice her wake up in sheer panic. The young dwarf was on watch that night, and he was about as far away from Kylie as possible without actually being separated from the company. Her eyes were blinking rapidly, protesting her being awake at this hour, but there was no going back to sleep; she'd reached that point a few days ago. She could see Ori rubbing his eyes in the distance.

There was no point in them both being awake.

"I can finish the watch," she whispered once she reached the dwarf.

He practically jumped. "How are you awake?"

She shrugged. "Just can't sleep. You go ahead. I'll be fine."

The dwarf could tell there was something not quite right, but he was too tired to care. Very soon, a new snore joined the chorus.

Kylie, meanwhile, picked at her bowstring. To be precise, Beorn's bowstring. He'd given them several bows that were distributed between Kylie, Thorin, and Fili. They were told that they could hunt before and after the forest, but Kylie was just glad to have a bow back. She'd hate to have to defend herself with her second-best weapon. That man was truly a blessing.

Crunch.

Kylie literally jumped. Something was out there. If it was an orc, she'd need to wake the company. If it was food… that actually sounded kind of appealing.

Crunch.

She notched the bow and walked slowly in the direction of the noise. Maybe it was stupid to go alone in the direction of potential danger, but she couldn't awake the company now. Not right before Mirkwood. They all needed as much rest as they could get.

Crunch.

A large shape appeared on the horizon. It looked like a… bear? For half a second, she thought about doubling back to camp and waking up Gandalf. But she couldn't. That would make too much noise and the bear would be gone. Instead, she drew her bow as far back as she could, silently.

Then the bear turned around. Kylie ducked further into the grass. Those eyes… they were familiar somehow. They were not black like any eyes she'd associate with a bear. They were green. In a strange way, they actually looked human.

No way….

Beorn?

Kylie almost whispered the bear-man's name, but she realized that he might hurt her. She had no idea if he had his human or cognitive senses as a bear. Instead, she crept closer to camp and continued to watch. Surprisingly enough, it was reassuring and scary at the same time. Either way, if Beorn was watching they would make it to the forest.

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Kylie rode with Gandalf the day next day. As much as it pained her to admit, she needed to talk to someone about her sleeping habits. The dwarves were beginning to wonder. Thorin had given her a stern lecture about being safe, and about how being well-rested contributed greatly to this. He was right, although she didn't acknowledge this mid-speech. But the only one she could even plausibly talk to was the wizard.

"Did you sleep last night?" Gandalf asked lightly. Somehow, the wizard always seemed to know what the problem was.

Kylie maneuvered her horse closer to Gandalf's. "Only a little," she admitted quietly.

Perhaps the wizard had no idea exactly what she wanted to say, but she could see his brain working quickly. "What are your dreams?"

"A Nazgǔl attack in Gondor," she whispered.

Maybe it was magical abilities, but somehow Gandalf heard exactly what she said. His eyes widened a little. "Then it is true. It will be found and the nine will reawaken."

"Yes. And it will be found very soon," she whispered back.

"Speak no more of this," said the wizard urgently. He continued quickly as Kylie's eyes went wide. "It is far beyond me to know the actual events of the future."

"But what about the dwarves?" Kylie stole a glance back at the company most of them were just passing the time in their own unique ways, but Bilbo and Kili occasionally looked in her direction.

"Ah yes, the dwarves should probably not hear of it. Unless there is no other option."

"What?"

"I cannot foresee a time when the truth would be necessary. But if such a time comes…."

"I'll think of something," she insisted.

Gandalf nodded slowly. "You could. But I find the truth can be a very freeing thing. If that is your choice, remember that."

"And the dreams?" Kylie asked. "They've been getting worse."

Gandalf nodded. "These dreams… are they of battle?"

Kylie started to nod, but then shook her head. "I mean, there was a battle going on, but this wasn't part of it." She went on to describe the attack, and some of the circumstances that led to it. Gandalf was still listening intently, so she continued to tell him about the battle at the Black Gate (although she left out that it was at the… actual Black gate), and about her death.

"Your return to your world was through death. Interesting. Very interesting…."

"Yeah. Sure." Not the reaction she was expecting.

"My dear girl, the things you have experienced… or shall experience… the fear is nothing to be ashamed of. But my girl you must take caution."

"Yeah I know."

"What do you know of Dol Guldur?"

"Just whatever I heard at the council."

Gandalf nodded. "Then you know to stay away. If a necromancer learns you may have knowledge of the future…." Gandalf shook his head. "You do see the danger in this?"

"Yes sir."

"Then take caution. And," he added with a trace of a smirk on his face, "do take care not to tell the company about any battles that have not happened yet."

Kylie shorted quietly. Leave it to Gandalf to find such an absurd way to lighten the mood.

"And here we are." Gandalf turned his horse and addressed the company as a whole. "Well, here is Mirkwood, the greatest of the forests in the Northern world. I hope you like the look of it." They groaned, and Kylie found herself agreeing. It was tall, dense, and dark. It looked nothing like the kind of place Legolas would want to live.

"And now," continued the wizard, "you must send back those excellent ponies you have borrowed."

The dwarves grumbled even more. "And if we wish to keep them?" asked Thorin.

Gandalf sighed, but he didn't have a chance to speak. The entire company turned in utter shock at a howl rang out in the distance.

"Wargs!" cried Kylie, pulling out her bow.

"There's no time!" called Gandalf. "Hurry, send back the ponies and into the forest!"

"We cannot send back these ponies now!" yelled Thorin. "They would be much safer in the forest with us!"

"You fool!" bellowed the wizard. "Beorn is not as far as you think! Is Master Baggins the only one who has noticed him on our trail? He followed to keep us safe, to be sure, but he followed even more to keep an eye on his ponies! If you release them, he'll keep you safe. But there is no time! Go!"

Thorin glanced around quickly dismounted. "You heard the wizard, send back the ponies! Now! Unpack!" He practically jumped off his and helped Kylie down from hers.

"Gandalf, where are you going!" cried Kylie, racing forward towards the wizard.

"I have urgent business to attend to," he said, steering his horse the other direction.

"But you can't leave us!" called Dori.

"I can and I must! With good luck and good fortune, perhaps we will see each other again. Now go! Into the forest! Run! And Kylie!" Here, the wizard's voice lowered, but was no less urgent. "Stay away from Dol Guldur. You must never leave the path, understand? Don't stray from the path!" With that, Gandalf rode away from the forest, all of the other mounts following him.

"Hurry, we do not stand a chance in the open," called Thorin. "Into the forest, quickly!"

Kylie shouldered her pack and ran behind the rest of the dwarves. No matter how much her ribs hurt, she had to keep going. It was the same principle as when she was fighting Azog: to slow meant to die. So she fought through the pain until the dwarves all stopped in the forest. It was so dark that, even though it was midday, she could barely see the path and the company members ahead.

"Halt," called Thorin from up ahead. The company stopped, panting. "They must be far behind now; we must rest for a minute."

Kylie could bear it no more. Her ribs were hurting more than ever and it was nearly impossible to breathe. She collapsed on the path.

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The first thing Kylie noticed when she woke up was that her ribs were hurting substantially less. The second thing she noticed was she was in the air. She was floating… did somebody put something in the water? No. She soon felt arms underneath and realized she was leaning against something. Her eyes fluttered open. Thorin was carrying her.

"Wasn't that bad… was it?" she asked slowly.

"Is she awake?" gasped a voice in the back. It sounded like Bilbo.

"Yes. We make camp here for the night."

"Good thing. Hard to stay on the path when we can't see," murmured Dwalin.

Kylie looked up just as Thorin set her down. Oin immediately trotted over to check her out.

"But really, what happened?" she asked. She was starting to feel more conscious, if more confused.

"You placed too much strain on your injured ribs," said Oin. "The running and the heavy pack were too much for you and your body gave out."

She sighed. "What happened to my pack?" she asked vaguely.

"We distributed it amongst us," said Thorin. "Until such time that Oin sees fit, you are not to carry anything on this journey."

"But you won't all be able to carry it alone. You will all exhaust yourselves!"

"Believe it or not, until now we have managed to carry both our supplies and you," Thorin pointed out. "I believe we will manage."

"And our packs will undoubtedly become lighter as we journey on," said Balin solemnly.

"Yes, yes, but Gloin I need a fire. I need to inspect these bones."

Kylie made no effort to hide her groan. She stubbornly crossed her arms and did not budge, even when Thorin threatened to hold her down while Oin undressed her himself.

"Don't. You. Dare," she hissed.

"Gloin start a fire," continued Oin. It was almost as if they dwarves were doing everything to ignore her wishes.

"Of course, brother." Gloin immediately began striking his flint together to create a spark. From the spark came the flame. The dwarves continued to feed the flames until they grew into a pretty average campfire. But Kylie resisted the entire time.

"Kylie this has gone on long enough! Balin, help me," growled Thorin. It was then that he did exactly as he threatened. He held the girl's arms apart as Oin loosened her belt.

"Thorin!" cried Bilbo.

"I know!" hissed Kylie unhappily.

"No, look!"

All of the dwarves stopped and looked around. All fourteen faces went remarkably pale, Kylie noticed. That was when she, too looked around. There were eyes… so many eyes… yellow ones, white ones, ones with visible irises and ones blacker than ebony. They all blinked rapidly at the company.

"Put it out!" gasped Ori.

"Yes…" Gloin started to kick dirt on the fire.

"No, stop!" cried Kylie, sitting up much more quickly than she should have.

"But the eyes!" cried Gloin.

"But what about things that actually fear fire?" If they were within a few hundred miles of Dol Guldur and a potentially evil necromancer, they needed fire. Just in case….

"No, no fires," said Thorin softly. "Put it out after we tend to the girl."

Nothing could go right, could it?


	18. Chapter 18: In the Midst of Darkness

Ch. 18: In the Midst of Darkness

Sometimes, first impressions are wrong. Very often throughout her life, Kylie would come across something she thought was completely bad and utterly repulsive. Yet something, somehow would change her mind later. This was not the case with Mirkwood. She had yet to reconcile with how this dark, dangerous place with the beautiful home Legolas went to great lengths to describe.

There was, however, one day that stood apart from the others: the day Bilbo climbed a tree.

"The food will not last," Balin said softly to Thorin.

Kylie overheard and glanced up at the dwarves. She had no idea how much food she had; she still hadn't been allowed to carry a pack.

The dwarf king took several paces forward in frustration. "Is there no end to this accursed forest?"

"Perhaps if we could only see the forest from the top we could know," said Balin.

"The top of forest?" said Nori, "what a ridiculous idea…."

"No! The trees!" cried Ori. "If somebody could climb up the trees, then there is a chance that he could see the forest."

All eyes turned to Bilbo Baggins. "Oh no… no, no, no… you don't really think… surely not…."

"You'll be perfectly safe," assured Thorin, "we will watch the tree and not let any harm come to you."

"Come on, up you go!" said Dwalin as he hoisted Bilbo.

"We hobbits prefer to stay on the ground," he squeaked from the first branch.

"Bilbo, you are the only one who can possibly reach the top of the trees," said Thorin seriously. "We will be down here for you."

"Perhaps we can make a mattress in the meantime. Just in case," added Bofur.

"I'm sure he likes that," snorted Kylie. Her ribs had not been bothering her any worse than normal, but it still felt good to sit. She knew that she needed to rest for them to heal. Oin had told her as much, and she had no intentions of having to be "examined" again.

Meanwhile, the dwarves were literally pacing for Bilbo.

"He'll be down soon," she assured the dwarves several times.

"It's more than that lassie," said Balin gently. "If the path through the forest is too much further…."

"Then what?" Kylie still didn't quite grasp the severity of the situation. Food was never a problem in her first journey. Perhaps it was better terrain, or better luck, but either way she'd never been faced with starvation before. It was an entirely foreign concept. But to his credit, Balin didn't berate her or act like she was an imbicile. He just smiled and pat her on the back

"Help him down lads!" The dwarves grabbed the shaking hobbit as he descended the tree. He looked more relieved than Kylie had ever seen anybody when his feet finally touched the ground. But he didn't bring good news. He didn't say that they were maybe miles away from the end of the forest. He couldn't stop talking about some damn purple butterflies….

Their predicament became clear when Thorin didn't let anybody have dinner that night. And maybe the lack of food got to Kylie, but she had another nightmare. She was standing in front of the Black Gate with both the fellowship and the company. Then the gates opened. Nine black shrouded figures stood just beyond. The Nazûgl didn't hesitate; they killed every last one of them. She cried out as blood pooled on the ground.

"Quiet!" said a voice.

But Kylie was still lost in her nightmare, so she only cried louder and thrashed out against the arms holding her down.

"Shh!" repeated the voice, eventually putting a hand over her mouth. Kylie struggled until finally she opened her eyes.

Oh no… not even her luck was that bad….

"It was a dream," said Thorin Oakenshield, removing his hand.

Finally able to breathe normal, Kylie panted. Maybe it was a dream… but it was all just so real….

"What happened?" asked Thorin, sitting a little further from her.

Kylie shook her head and lay back down. She didn't want to talk about it. And even if she did….

"It is neither healthy nor wise to keep silent about such dreams," he insisted.

But Kylie just lay back. She couldn't tell… not about this….

Thorin picked up on her reluctance. "As the leader of this company, to whom you swore allegiance to when you signed the contract, I order you speak!"

"You can't order me. You're not my king," said Kylie.

Wrong move. Thorin grabbed her shoulders and forced her into a seated position. "When your dreams could have an adverse effect on the company, they become my concern. When your dreams cause you to lose sleep and slip away as we have seen you do, they are still my concern. When you signed the contract, I not only accepted you under my leadership, but my protection. So now, you will tell me or you will sit here in this uncomfortable position all night!"

Kylie squirmed, but the dwarf was too strong for her. No matter how much she wanted to get away, she simply could not. But she could not tell Thorin about the true content of her dreams; that would lead to an uncomfortable conversation about her origins. So she opted for a lie. The first she could think of. "Azog."

Something changed in Thorin's eyes. "The attack?"

She nodded. "The attack. Sometimes, I see him. I see him come towards me… I see… I see him grab at me…." She shook. The real memories, the truth, were coming to the forefront of her mind. Stop. She had to stop. "The flames. I... I don't want it to happen again," she finished, stealing the words from Bilbo's mouth.

Thorin grabbed her shoulder. "An attack such that… can change a person. I know that was not your first fight; I saw you in action. But battles leave scars. Even for dwarves, the mere memories can become more crippling than the injuries sustained. But hear me." Here, Thorin grabbed Kylie's face and force her to look him in the eye. "If these dreams persist, you must talk. If not to me, to somebody. Do you understand?"

Kylie nodded and lay back down. Perhaps Thorin would be willing, but it didn't help. She was beginning to think nothing would help, as she struggled to go back to sleep.

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As if someone above was watching them with a sick sense of humor, they came across the river the next day.

Yes. _The_ river.

"Halt!" ordered Thorin.

The entire company stopped immediately. Kylie was extremely thirsty; they were almost out of water. She wanted nothing more but to jump in that river, swim, bathe, and drink all at the same time. Unfortunately, Beorn had warned them explicitly against this very river so she refrained herself. It was the worst feeling ever.

"Where's the bridge?" asked Fili.

"No bridge… no way to cross," said Dwalin, throwing down his axe.

"Wait, is that a boat?" asked Bilbo, pointing across the black waters.

"Master Baggins, I see no boat," said Thorin slowly.

"Wait, I think I see it too," said Fili, getting a little too close to the water.

"And me," said Kili.

Thorin pulled his nephews back, but tried to look more closely. "I still do not see it, but my eyes do not see as well as they used to a hundred years ago. How far do you think it is Mr. Baggins?"

Bilbo squinted, getting about as close to the water as Kili had been moments before. "I would say about twelve yards."

Thorin grumbled as he proceeded to pull Bilbo away the same way he had his nephews. "Twelve miles is about as good as a mile. We dare not swim or wade across."

"Do we have rope? I could shoot it across to the boat. Then we could pull it to shore," suggested Kili.

"Here lad, I've got one," said Bofur, rummaging through his pack. It was a testament to how little food they had left that he found it so quickly.

"Good," said Kili. He bent down and tied the robe securely to one of his arrows.

"Hold the end of the rope," ordered Thorin, taking hold of the very end of the rope himself.

Kili approached the water, took a deep breath, and shot. Kylie could hear a distinct "thunk" from the other shore.

"I hit it! I hit it!" he cried, jumping up and down. Thorin had to physically drag him from the water again to make sure he didn't accidentally jump into the river

"Good. Now pull! Don't let that rope touch the water! Pull it forward!"

Soon enough, the boat was on the shore and they were taking turns riding across. That was when the white deer showed up.

"Stop! Do not waste arrows!" bellowed Thorin, but he was too late to stop the chaos. Fili and Kili fired aimlessly at the deer. Kylie almost did too, but she heard Thorin's commands. So instead of firing too rapidly she pulled back one arrow and sent it into a buck that had jumped across the river. She watched as the arrow flew across the river and landed in the buck's backside.

"I got it!"

"Bombur's fallen in! Bombur's fallen in!"

The entire company stopped and time seemed to freeze as the hobbit continued to cry out. Then Thorin unsheathed his sword, cut the rope, and threw it to the hand raised above the water. Miraculously, it caught the rope, and Bofur and Bifer were both there to pull their kin to shore. But Bombur wasn't moving. He was just lying there, with a peaceful smile on his fat face.

"You've got to be kidding," moaned Kylie as she took a better look.

"Big oaf fell asleep!" cried Bofur. "Come on, time to wake up!" He proceeded to slap his brother. And again. And again. He didn't stop until Bifer grabbed his hand and said something in the dwarf-language that he was limited to.

Thorin sighed again. "He will not awake. Redistribute the packs, we need to carry him until he awakes."

"Wait Thorin, I shot a dear!" said Kylie.

The dwarf glanced over to the shore across. "Where?"

Kylie looked too, but she could barely see the other side of the river. "I don't know… but I hit it! I saw the arrow in its ass."

"Then come, let us waste no time! If we cannot replenish stocks soon, it will be the end of us all. Kili, come with us."

Kylie expected to be able to see the white deer halfway across. After all, it was practically glowing white and should stand out against the complete black of Mirkwood, right? No. Even when the boat hit the shore, she couldn't see anything.

"Where is it?" she cried. Oblivious of the risk, she jumped off the boat and ran around. "I shot it! It was right there!"

"Stay on the path!" instructed Thorin, grabbing her arm before she could venture away.

"But it was here! I… I saw the shot…."

"It's okay. I thought I shot it too," said Kili quietly. "We'll be okay. We'll be fine, right Thorin?"

Thorin didn't answer.

And it wasn't okay.

It was about a week later. All throughout those days, Kylie wore a pack to relieve whoever was stuck carrying Bombur. But her pack got lighter and lighter, and finally she only had her bedroll and traveling cloak. Some of the others still had food for a few more days, but that didn't last. One day, Thorin announced that their stores were completely empty. That was it. They would last a few more days, but if they didn't find anything within the week they would likely die of starvation.

Just them they heard a loud moan. Dwalin nearly dropped his extremely fat load, and the load grumbled as its foot touched the ground. And that was how they found out Bombur was awake.

"Thank God," said Kylie as the company helped Bombur to his feet.

"Who's that?" he asked slowly, pointing at the girl.

"Kylie?"

"What is she doing here?"

"I'm a friend…." It was becoming increasingly clear that Bombur had forgotten everything that had happened in the duration of the quest.

"Where are we?"

"The middle of Mirkwood," said Bofur slowly.

To everybody's shock, Bombur started to cry. "Why ever did I wake up?" he wailed, rocking back and forth, "I was having such beautiful dreams. I dreamed I was walking in a forest rather like this one, only lit with torches on the trees and lamps swinging from the branches and fires burning on the ground; and there was a great feast going on, going on forever. A great feast going on forever! A woodland king was there with a crown of leaves, and there was a merry singing, and I could not count or describe the things there were to eat and drink…."

Kylie's stomach growled. Hers was not alone.

"You need not try," growled Thorin. "In fact if you can't talk about something other than food and elves, you had better be silent."

A day passed and Bombur just could not shut up about those stupid dreams.

"Bombur if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to cut out your tongue!" snarled Kylie. Her hunger pangs were making her much more testy than usual. "And fry it. Maybe add a little salt. And I'm going to eat it!"

"Fine," he said. Then the fat dwarf proceeded to lie down on the forest road. "Go on, if you must. I'm just going to lie here and sleep and dream of food, if I can't get it any other way. I hope I never wake up again!"

"Shh!" called Balin from up ahead. "There's a light!"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! We'll see how much I can get written between now and when school starts back up again. Thankfully I've been able to get a lot written, but it's all about getting it edited and stuff. Anyways, I really enjoy your feedback and… you never know. It could influence the story.


	19. Chapter 19: The Light and the Darkness

Ch. 19: The Light and the Darkness

The dwarves bounded forward and stared at the light. It was far away, barely in visible to Kylie's eyes, but it was there. Smack in the middle of the forest.

"We can't," she moaned.

"Why not?" Bombur cried. "It's just like in my dreams!"

"The girl is right," said Thorin, "we cannot venture off the path."

"But Thorin, what will we do about food?" asked Balin seriously.

"We have no idea what's out there!" cried Kylie. Fear pooled at the pit of her stomach. Gandalf had warned them to stay on the path, and had personally warned her to stay away from Dol Guldur. If those lights led them too close… Kylie didn't want to think about it.

"But my dreams! There were elves and venison and pork and bread with dabs of butter and…."

Thorin growled. "A feast would be no good, if we never got back alive from it. Besides, we should seek no more aid from elves."

"Why not? Without a feast we shan't remain alive much longer!" said Bombur. With that, he ran towards the light.

"Bombur, no!" cried Bofur. Bifer cried something and ran after him. Soon enough, all thirteen dwarves and hobbit were racing into the forest. It almost made Kylie want to cry, but she ran after them. As much as she knew she needed to avoid a potentially evil tower at all costs, she also knew she couldn't become separated from the company. It was about much more than destroying that damned ring now; they were her protection. They were her friends.

Minutes later, all fifteen of them barreled into the circle. Kylie saw a flash of green, along with a table and food before the forest went pitch black.

"Bilbo!" she screamed. "Kili! Fili? Bofur? Thorin!" She walked into the circle, crying out her friends' names. "Somebody?"

Somebody ran into her. "Kylie!"

"Kili, thank God!" She held onto his hand tightly.

"Everybody stop!" cried Thorin somewhere to her left. "Listen, come to the sound of my voice. "Here," he kept repeating, until the entire company remained together.

"Well good job, Bombur!" snapped Kylie. "You managed to get us all lost!"

"Silence," said Thorin. The entire forest obeyed. Gloin managed to make a fire so they could see each other. There was just no other option. Even though the eyes came out again, nobody wanted to lose another. Kylie just sat catatonic, staring at the fire. She was afraid of this… she'd only been more afraid when she fell before the embodiment of fear itself.

"Look!" cried Fili. "There's another light!"

"Nobody dare approach it," warned Thorin.

"But Thorin…" started Kili.

"No." Kylie could hear the Dwarf King stamp his foot. "We will seek no help from elves. Especially not Thranduil's people." The animosity as Thorin said that name was almost frightening.

"Thorin, look, we cannot survive here much longer," said Balin slowly.

"I would rather die than bow before him."

"And us? Your sister's sons? You would sacrifice their lives as well?" the older dwarf asked sharply.

The woods were silent, as if waiting for some sort of decision. Kylie heard Thorin stand up. "Very well. We go together. And Mr. Baggins shall enter the circle first."

"Me?" squeaked Bilbo.

"Yes, you." Thorin was clearly in no mood for an argument. "Thranduil has no quarrel with you and perhaps he will agree to help you long before he realizes who you are in company with."

With that, they approached the light together. "Remember Bilbo, they shan't be afraid of you."

"And what of… ah!" The lights went out again.

If Thorin had hoped this would go more smoothly, he would have been severely disappointed. Kylie ran frantically around, looking for anybody. She ran into Thorin, who held her wrist in a death-grip.

"Enough!" he roared. "I am going to give each of you numbers, and when your number is called you will walk towards my voice and you will grab either mine or Kylie's hands! I am number one, Kylie is number two. KILI, THREE!"

"Three," said the youngest dwarf somberly and he ran into his uncle.

"Fili, four!"

Thorin continued this way until every company member was accounted for. All except Bilbo.

"Bilbo? Drat that hobbit, Bilbo!" he called out.

Suddenly, there was a gasp and an 'umph'. "Found him," came Dori's less-than-amused voice. Apparently, Bilbo had passed out and was lying unconscious by where the entrance of the circle might have been.

"Oh, here again," he mumbled when they woke him up. "I was having the most marvelous dream. We were in a woods, and there was this feast…."

"He's gone like Bombur!" cried Nori.

"Mr. Baggins you have proven yourself to be resourceful, but if I hear one word out of you concerning food, I will knock you out and carry you out of this forest myself!" growled Thorin. "Gloin, see if you can't get a fire going again."

"Thorin, I'm not sure you want to hear this," said Gloin, "but…." The entire company turned. There, barely yards away, were more lights than ever before. Even Kylie could see them very clearly.

"Thorin?" asked Kili tentatively.

"Come," he said. Hand-in-hand, the company walked towards the light. When they reached a point where they could see each other, Thorin motioned for them all to stay and he stepped forward. Kylie watched as the dwarf stepped into the light. Everything seemed to slow down. First, Thorin stepped into the light. Then, Kylie observed the elves at the table. The one on the end, clearly the king, stood up in shock. Another elf, next to him, also stood up. Kylie stopped breathing for a whole minute as she took in this elf's features.

Legolas?

Then it went black. Once again, she found herself running around frantically looking for her friends. But then everything went wrong. Horrifyingly wrong. She ran into a big, hairy tree. But surely, even Mirkwood didn't have hairy trees…. Her eyes adjusted just in time to see a stinger come down in her direction. She barely had time to roll out from underneath.

"SPIDERS!" she screamed. That was it. The terror of this place plus the threat of an unseen enemy sent Kylie running. She ran and ran and ran and ran, screaming the entire time, and praying that somebody would follow her. It was at last an hour before she stopped. She dropped to ground, panting.

"Kili?" she asked tentatively, before drawing her sword. She knew that, even though the spiders seemed to have left her alone, she was far from safe. "Fili?" Still no response. "Bofur? Bilbo? Bombur? Is anybody there? Balin? Thorin? Dwalin? Please?" She waited for a response. The woods were completely silent. "Ori, Nori, Dori? Oin? Gloin? SOMEBODY!" she screamed before collapsing. She was completely, utterly alone.

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It was hours before Kylie had the strength to stand again. Exhaustion and hunger were threatening to take over, but she couldn't afford to let them. She had only one mission in mind: find her friends. If she got out of Mirkwood, she wouldn't complain either. So, without any point of reference, Kylie picked a direction and walked, sword at the ready.

She walked for hours, using her sword to hack away many undesirable parts of the forest. She was not sure if she was moving towards an exit in the forest, but it seemed like the trees were getting less and less dense. She wished she could light a fire or a torch or something to see what she was going towards, but Gloin had the tinderbox. Gloin… she choked up again. She had to find him. Not just for her sake or even for his sake, but for Gimli's. He was probably still very young at this point. He needed a father. She had to keep going.

Off in the distance, she saw a stone wall. Maybe it was help? Maybe there was food! She knew the elves lived in the forest; maybe this was where? Sword up front, she approached the wall. Something didn't feel right. She couldn't think of any elves that would live here. But she ignored her doubts. Besides, she told herself, she was too tired and hungry and thirsty and scared to really trust her brain at the moment.

But even this false rationale couldn't keep her from noticing the chills she got from crossing the bridge. Sweat covered her palms as she passed through the entry way.

"Stay away from Dol Guldur. You must never leave the path, understand?" Gandalf's words came back as she crossed the threshold. Tower in the middle of Mirkwood… chills… she even sensed the evil! This was not just a random structure; this was Dol Guldur itself. She had to get out of there!

Then the voices started. They were low and indistinguishable, but they froze Kylie in place. They got louder, but they were speaking in a language she could not understand. A figure approached from the fortress. It was a shadow… wraith… wraith… WRAITH!

Memories swam back and Kylie dropped her sword, completely helpless. She clutched her head and screamed. Memories from the fellowship, the company, and home rushed through her mind like a torrent, paralyzing her. Her head swam and Kylie collapsed as she relived the march on the black gate and her senior tennis match at the same time. But as soon as the memories started, they stopped. Kylie stared at the shadow and, although it didn't have a face, she could tell it was staring intently at her. It was confused by what it saw.

But that was her chance to run. Likely the only one she'd ever get. Kylie couldn't withstand another attack like that… she couldn't! She rolled over and, tripping over her own feet, raced through the archway and across the bridge. She barely even noticed her legs carrying her far away from the tower. She did not stop until she ran right into a large, thick spider web. Still within sight of the tower.

"Help, help…" she moaned, too weak to struggle. The pure evil that she had been exposed to was draining her. Now this web….

Suddenly, she fell. Something had cut the webs that bound her. But they were still too sticky for her to actually catch herself. She fell to the forest floor with a thud. Small hands turned her over.

"Kylie?"

"Bilbo!"

A/N: Thank you all so much who have favorited/ followed/ reviewed on the story! I'm so humbled by the response! I looked on the traffic graph, and I had over 400 views in one day! I'm very grateful/humbled by your response!

The name of the next chapter: Old Tomnoddy. Fans of the books be ready :)


	20. Chapter 20: Old Tomnoddy

Ch. 20: Old Tomnoddy

"Bilbo!" Kylie cried again as the hobbit cut her from her bonds. When he finally freed her, she wrapped the hobbit in a hug. Kylie was in a vulnerable state at this moment; she was on the verge of tears.

"Kylie! I thought you were lost!"

She shook her head. At least she didn't think she was. Not anymore. But that figure in the fortress….

"I've found the dwarves," continued Bilbo, his voice even lower. "They've been caught by the spiders! They'll be eaten for sure if we don't move quickly!"

Kylie's eyes widened. Concern for her friends helped break through the numb fear that the wraith had left in the wake of its assault. "No…."

"I have a plan," continued the hobbit quickly, "follow me." He practically dragged the young human behind a fallen tree. There, a horrible sight met Kylie's eyes. Just beyond the trunk was a small clearing, surrounded by the thickest spider webs she'd ever seen. And thick webs meant... those spiders were giant! They were probably at least twice the size of Kylie herself, and were large and nasty and black as midnight. There must have been a dozen! To make matters worse, twelve sacks were hanging from the trees. Some had legs and noses sticking out, and some were just swinging as the dwarf inside was struggling for his life.

"Alright, I do not have time to explain," whispered Bilbo, "but I have a ring that'll make me invisible. I can draw the spiders off and you need to cut down the dwarves."

Invisible Ring? Kylie's insides went cold. "Are you crazy?" she hissed. "You can't do that! You can't wear that ring!"

Whatever reaction Bilbo was expecting, it was not that. "What?"

"You can't!" she continued to moan hysterically. "That ring's evil! You can't put it on here; it'll draw them to you!"

Bilbo looked completely lost. "Do you have a better plan? Do you have a better plan?" he asked a second time for emphasis. "Just do as I say!" With that, he vanished.

"Bilbo! Bilbo!" Kylie whispered sharply. Her breaths grew short and rapid and her vision clouded. Bilbo had the ring; he'd had it for some time! And now he was using it not too far from what Kylie was pretty sure was Dol Guldur! But she couldn't stop him. She had to free those dwarves as quickly as possible so nothing evil would find them! She reached for her sword to remember with cold horror that she'd left it in the fortress. With very few other sharp items at her disposal, Kylie took out an arrow. As soon as Bilbo drew off the spiders, she'd be ready.

To be perfectly honest, Kylie had no idea what kind of distraction Bilbo was about to provide. But whatever crazy stunt she could have possibly thought he was going to pull, it sure as hell wasn't this.

A stone his one spider. And another, then another. Then, Kylie heard Bilbo singing from across the clearing.

_Old fat spider spinning in a tree!_

_Old fat spider can't see me!_

_Attercop! Attercop!_

_Won't you stop,_

_Stop your spinning and look for me?_

_Old Tomnoddy, all big body,_

_Old Tomnoddy can't see me!_

_Attercop! Attercop!_

_Down you drop!_

_You'll never catch me up your tree!_

What. The. Hell. Kylie had no words.

But it was working! Holy… that hobbit was actually leading the spiders away!

There was only one left in the clearing and Kylie's bow took care of that. She pulled the arrow out of the spider corpse and climbed to the closest dwarf sack. It was very slow work, but finally a nearly unconscious Dori fell out.

"Dori! You have to wake up!" cried Kylie, shaking the dwarf. He barely responded. "Please!" He still lay there. Kylie sighed and resigned herself to just pull out the dwarf's knife out and climb to the next sack. With the knife, she quickly freed Ori, Nori, and Bombur, but Nori was the only one fit enough to help her free the others. Bombur was fit to do nothing more than lie on the ground and let the poison take its course.

"Where's Bilbo?" asked Bofur as soon as he was free.

"He's giving us a distraction," said Kylie quickly. She prayed the poor hobbit would be alright, but all she could do at that moment was to try to free her trapped friends.

At that point, all of the sacks were down. If each dwarf was not free, his cocoon was being cut open by his companions. There was just one problem.

"Where's Thorin?" asked Dwalin.

Kylie looked around in horror. Where was Thorin Oakenshield? "Thorin?" she called out.

"Thorin?" called Fili and Kili at the same time.

"He's not here; where is he?" asked Balin urgently. But there was no answer.

"Hurry!" called a voice. Bilbo materialized in the middle of the circle. "We must run before they came back!"

"Bilbo! What…."

"We don't have long!" the hobbit cried.

"But Thorin's not here!" whimpered Kili.

Bilbo froze. "Where is he?"

"We don't know!"

Bilbo looked around. "He's not here. I didn't see him when I went that way…."

"We have to split up!" begged Fili.

"No!" Bilbo cried. "We can't! If we split up again, we'll never find each other! Look: we have to move! If you see anything, shout."

With that, Bilbo led the way and the dwarves followed. Kylie pulled out her bow and ran behind the dwarves. "How far?" she called out to Bilbo.

"No idea, but be ready!"

"They attacked unawares last time," added Balin. "We cannot let our guard down!"

Kylie watched as she ran. She was ready to shoot… or she thought she was. But she barely moved out of the way when a ginormous spider dropped down from above.

"Here! Here!" she screamed. The dwarves erupted, attacking their attackers with admirable skill and speed. But Kylie watched her friends drop like flies. They would not last much longer….

Suddenly there was a horn. There was a shower of arrows and the spiders scampered away. Kylie nearly laughed in relief, but it was short-lived. The company soon found themselves surrounded by elves, arrows drawn. They were elves, and Kylie liked elves, but they were not friendly. These elves were not rescuing them; they were capturing them. Right now, she was actually a bit frightened. But once again, Kylie recognized one face in the crowd.

"Legolas!"


	21. Chapter 21: The Elven Realm

Ch. 21: The Elven Realm

Her eyes fluttered open. The first thing her mind registered was the light, something she hadn't seen in weeks. Kylie turned her head around, trying to take in the unfamiliar scenery. She was in a wooden room with windows. Sunshine did come in, but it was in limited amounts. How did she got there, she couldn't recall. But nobody was in the room, and she was dressed in a light linen hospital shirt. So somebody must have changed her clothes while she was asleep. That was a pretty creepy thought in and of itself. Then she noticed was the chains.

Kylie tried to move her hands, but nothing happened. Or they wanted to, but something cold kept them still. Then she tried to scratch her feet, but neither her legs nor arms could move more than inches. Her eyes widened when she saw that both of her arms and legs were chained to a bedpost.

Who had her chained to a bed?

Kylie struggled. She had to get out! She had no idea where she was, but anybody who saw it necessary to chain her anywhere….

"Enough, you will injure yourself further," said a voice.

Hands propped Kylie up and she saw a blonde elf examining her.

Memories came back. The spiders… the tower… Bilbo… the ring… Legolas…. LEGOLAS! He was there. He was here!

"Where am I?" her voice sounded scratchy even to herself.

"The Kingdom of Mirkwood. You and your company were caught trespassing on our lands." There was a degree of coldness in his voice that Kylie neither expected nor believed she deserved.

"Sorry," she murmured defensively.

He gave her a strange glance, but lifted her shirt to examine her wounds. "When they brought you in, you were in shock. At least that's what I could ascertain. You will likely be moved in a day or so."

"Moved where?" Then Kylie remembered something very important. Something she could not believe she'd be capable of forgetting. "Where are my friends?"

"In the dungeons. Where you will likely be by sunset."

"Wait, the dungeons… we're in jail?" Kylie's eyes widened. The only time she'd ever encountered something like that was when Boromir had been thrown in jail in Rohan. But that was all just completely unfair….

"You were found trespassing on our lands with dwarves," said the elf curtly. "Your ribs had some severe bruising, but they are healing slowly. I can see the progress…."

"Yeah. I know. But why are my friends in jail? Are they okay?"

The elf shrugged. "As far as I know, but I hardly ever concern myself with such situations. I am a physician: nothing more."

"So we'll all be together then? And did you guys ever find Thorin?"

"Thorin Oakenshield?" the physician asked slowly. "Yes, he is here."

"That is enough," said another voice. Kylie turned to the entrance of the door. A very regal figure stood there, staring at Kylie. There was nothing evil about this elf, but there was something in his eyes that Kylie didn't exactly like. She couldn't put a finger on it. Behind him stood none other than Legolas, prince of Mirkwood.

This must be the king.

"Welcome to my realm," the elf said. "I am sorry for these unfortunate circumstances, but you understand my need for caution?"

"Not really," she muttered, playing with the sheets.

The elven king shook his head as he stood aloof over the human girl. "I believe I am at a loss. You know who I am, but I do not know you. What is your name?"

"I'm Kylie Turney, but why am I here?"

"Kylie Turney," he said slowly, ignoring her question. "Not any sort of name I'm familiar with, nor does it belong within the culture of the dwarves."

"That's because I'm human," she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Legolas's face hardened, clearly not too happy with Kylie's tone. She couldn't help but glance at him every once in a while, almost expecting him to speak up for her. But she knew he wouldn't. They weren't friends yet; that was all in the future.

"And what would a young human girl such as yourself be doing with a group of dwarves?"

"I met them outside Rivendell. We fought together, and we've been friends ever since."

"Outside Rivendell? So you have spoken with Lord Elrond?"

"Yeah. He can vouch for us… your majesty."

"Yet you are not within his boundaries, but mine. So I ask you: why did you attack my people a fortnight ago?"

Kylie stared. "Huh?"

The elf-king and Legolas both looked confused. Clearly, that word had no place in elven vocabulary. But Kylie's tone gave them enough of a hint to figure out its meaning. "You and your company attacked my people who were feasting in the woods over a week ago. I wish to know why."

"No we didn't." Those specific memories were still just coming back to Kylie, but she knew that the company would never openly attack elves. Avoid them and hate them with every ounce of their beings sure, but never start a fight. "We didn't attack them. I mean, maybe we went about it wrong the first time, but we were just trying to beg for food. We were starving."

The elf's eyes narrowed. "Starving?"

"You know… out of food? Hadn't eaten for days?"

"I know what 'starving' consists of," said Thranduil, a slight edge to his voice. "So you insist that you didn't attack my people in the woods, yet you entered our midst, heavily armed, three times."

"We tried to be more subtle the last two!" insisted Kylie. "We just sent in one person! But we were only asking for help!"

The elf king blinked rapidly. Kylie pretty sure he did not believe her. But he continued diplomatically: "Be that as it may, I cannot help but be suspicious of a group of dwarves within my realm. Especially a company of Thorin Oakenshield."

"We were just passing through, I swear! Why do you care?"

"Where were you passing to?"

"We're going to…" then Kylie shut her mouth. "They haven't told you yet?"

Thranduil exchanged a glance with Legolas. "They have not," Legolas admitted.

"Then…." Kylie weighed her options. She could tell. It'd be very easy. It might even put the elves at ease around her, which she really wanted. She hated being chained up like a common criminal. But if the dwarves didn't want the elves to know, then she shouldn't. They were her friends. And she told the king as much. "… Ask them. They'll tell you when they're ready."

The elf's eyes blazed and Kylie scooted back in her bed. "You would deliberately withhold information?"

"I'm sorry! It's not my quest. I made friends with them outside Rivendell…."

"You, you informed me as such," said the King. He was getting angry now. "You do realize that in most civilized regions of the world, such an act could be considered treason."

"Only if I was an elf," Kylie retorted.

Thranduil glared. "I have the power to do whatever I wish with you and your company, and there is no one who would stop me."

Kylie almost said that she could think of a few people (namely Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel), but she wisely opted to shake her head instead.

"Furthermore," continued Thranduil, "Dwarves only care for things under the earth. They tend to have very little foresight to how their actions would affect those around them."

"Not completely true," insisted Kylie. "And even if it were, what does it matter? You're both free peoples of Middle Earth. Shouldn't you get along?"

"Us, fight alongside dwarves?" said Legolas sarcastically.

Kylie gave him an incredulous look. Oh if only he knew…. "You act like the dwarves are the only ones in all Middle Earth who have faults, like they're beneath you! Okay, maybe they're shorter, but they're beings too! Maybe they like their gold and treasures a lot, but you seem more than content to have valuable things too!" Legolas looked conspicuously down at his richly designed clothing. "And dwarves at least do something! Elves are perfectly happy to sit back at let somebody else deal with the problems of the world!" For good or bad, dwarves had tried to take back Moria. They had all failed, but they didn't hole themselves in a fortress. "You'd leave the world of man to deal with the evil that's going to rise alone!"

"We do not…" Legolas started until his father interrupted.

"Evil that is to rise?" he asked slowly.

Kylie snapped her mouth shut. She'd said too much. Oh dear, if people came in and out of worlds every other day he's guess who she was in an instant! She couldn't just keep talking like she actually knew what she was saying! For heaven's sake, she was an eighteen-year-old girl! Most eighteen-year-olds in Middle Earth probably hadn't even left their homes before.

"Explain your words," said Thranduil softly. But Kylie stayed completely silent. "Very well. Take her to an empty cell, and if she ever feels inclined to speak, send me word."

"But we didn't do anything!" Kylie cried as the guards unchained her and pulled her from the bed and chained.

"You have associated with dwarves who could not possibly have any good intentions for my people. Furthermore, you keep important secrets. I know not what, but I do know it puts you beyond trust!" snapped Thranduil. "Legolas, take her to the dungeon until she has the inclination to convince me she deserves otherwise!"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I want to thank everybody who reviewed, especially the guests who I couldn't thank personally. Next chapter will include some Legolas/Kylie interaction, so stick around! :)


	22. Chapter 22: Reconnections

Ch. 22: Reconnections

Kylie remained silent as she was led to the dungeon. It was all so unreal… she didn't want to be in jail. She didn't want to be stuck in a cell. Even worse: she knew she'd screwed up. She made Thranduil way too interested in her. Oh her and her big mouth….

"Here," said Legolas, gently shoving her in. Kylie went willingly, and heard the door slam shut. Just as she was slowly losing all hope, a bundle fell at her feet. Kylie jumped, and turned to see the elf wearing a slightly amused look. Very slightly amused. She was only able to recognize it because she'd spent months watching him watch some particularly entertaining hobbits. "Your clothing," he explained.

"Oh. Thanks," she said, picking up her clothing, watching the elves leave one by one. Eventually, only the prince remained.

"What is it?" Kylie asked Legolas.

The elf stared at her. "I wish for an explanation for what happened in the forest."

"What do you mean?"

"Before you collapsed, you called me by name."

Shit. Kylie felt the blood rush to her face. She barely suppressed a moan. How could she so, incredibly stupid? How could she think of a lie to cover _that_ up?

Legolas continued. "I am not well-versed in the ways of man, but you could not possibly be more than twenty-five summers. I would remember if you if we had met," the elf concluded. "So explain how it is you know my name."

Kylie shifted uncomfortably on the stone floor. "I didn't say your name," she tried.

Legolas's face hardened. "Perhaps you know very little of elves, but our hearing is far superior to that of your own. If you had so much as whispered my name in my presence, I would have heard."

"Maybe I said something similar… I don't know… I was pretty out of it at the time."

Legolas was glaring at her now. Kylie was actually a little afraid. "You know me. How? Through friend or foe?"

"Definitely a friend. Look, maybe I learned it from Elrond or something." Thank you, Legolas, for accidently giving her that idea. "But look, why do you care?"

"Darkness has come to Mirkwood. Who but an agent of darkness would be privy to such knowledge?"

Kylie's blood ran cold. "What did you just call me?"

Legolas sensed her anger, but did not retract his statement. He stood firm. "I do not know. What are you?"

Kylie stood up. She was several inches shorter than the elf, but she did not back down. "My name is Kylie Turney. You don't know me… but we're on the same side. I'm trying to fight the same evil you are, and I hate the same evil you do. I've seen things that you can't even begin to imagine yet. So do _not_ tell me that I'm a part of that!"

"Then prove it to me," challenged the elf. "If you mean us no harm, then give us the information we need!"

"I will!" said Kylie, sitting down on the bed. "I'll give you any information about anything evil you want!"

"Then tell me of the dwarves' quest."

Kylie froze. Really? Was Legolas trying to play her like that? "I said about evil. They're not evil."

"So you say," challenged the elf.

"You just don't like them yet," said Kylie. She was starting to feel weak. Maybe it was all her emotions in turmoil and the fact that she clearly hadn't stood in days, but her body was deciding enough was enough. And she was sensing that this conversation would end.

"Very well," Legolas backed away from the cell and turned to leave. "You will be our guest longer than either of us would like unless you speak." With that, he left.

Kylie cried quietly.

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In all honesty, the first few days were not too bad. At least considering the fact that Kylie was spending each and every minute in a six by eight foot cell. She found small things to keep her occupied, including talking to some of the guards who brought her food. Once they figured out that she did not loathe their entire race, they were cordial enough to answer her questions. Through them, she found out that each of her companions were close by. Except Thorin. The elves just told her that he was in a special location.

But as the days (weeks?) went by, things changed. Anxiety grew, and soon the tension permeated the entire palace. It was palpable even to Kylie from within her cell. She asked a few of the guards, but they would shake her head and Kylie'd swear that she saw some of them pale when she mentioned something wrong.

Then the nightmares returned. Her first few nights had been peaceful. She had trouble sleeping due to the fact she was on a prison bed, but eventually her body adjusted and she had a good night's sleep. But literally the next night, Kylie relived the attack on Weathertop. The nightmares grew worse each night. Finally, they were so horrifying that Kylie woke up screaming.

"Shh!" said a voice from the outside. Kylie looked to see Legolas peering in the cell. There was another guard with him: a female elf with flaming red hair.

Kylie panted and wiped the sweat from her brow. It was just a dream… it was just a dream…. "Sorry," she managed to get out.

Both elves gave her a strange look.

"What's going on here? Like here... here?" Kylie asked the elves. She wasn't sure what, but there was something not right.

The red-haired elf continued to stare at Legolas, but the blonde elf just walked away. The red-haired guard, on the other hand, stayed and continued to stare at Kylie.

"You truly are an inquisitive one," she said softly, clearly trying to read the human girl sitting feet away.

"Something's not right here," said Kylie softly. She was trying to suppress the memory of that last dream. It was working for the most part, but the elf read something into her eyes.

"What know you of this evil?" she asked.

Evil? Kylie suspected as much, but to hear a sort of confirmation was another matter. "What evil?"

The elf looked around before answering. "The evil in Dol Guldur. It has been present for centuries, but now… something has changed…."

Kylie's eyes widened. There were only a few things she could think about that would cause a change in the evil from Dol Guldur, but each one had something to do with either herself or Bilbo. Not exactly a reassuring thought.

The elf continued. "We have held back the shadow this long. We shall hold for longer."

"But never before have the shadows reached our kingdom," said another voice quietly. Legolas had returned. He looked less than pleased with the red-headed guard.

"The shadows have reached Mirkwood?" asked Kylie.

Legolas nodded. "There has been talk of a shadowy embodiment just outside the walls."

"Shadowy embodiment? A wraith?" she gasped.

"That is what the reports would lead me to believe," said the red-haired guard.

Kylie's head spun. This could not be true… this just could not… it must be a dream.

"You promised me answers in regards to evil," said Legolas. "I will demand answers now."

"The only wraiths that I know about are the Nazgǔl…."

Both elves' eyes went wide. "Impossible," said Legolas finally. "Those creatures fell with Sauron…."

"Believe me, I wouldn't mind being wrong. But if I'm not… fire. Make sure there's enough fire on the wall or with the guards or however you guard the city. They really don't like fire."

Legolas nodded curtly and walked away. But the red-haired elf stayed. "You intrigue me, child," she said. "You help us from within our own cells."

"I've told all of you: I'm not the enemy. We're all fighting the same evil." Kylie made sure to keep her words in present tense to avoid another awkward confrontation.

The elf nodded and left.

"And I'm not a child!" she called after them.

That was when the information really sunk in. The wraiths were not gone. They were gone from the world she'd left, but here and now they were very much alive. Or dead. Well, they were very much present in the world! They could attack. And they were so close… oh where was Bilbo? Where was that ring? As much as Kylie didn't want to, she passed out.

She dreamed she was back in Minas Tirith. She had just escaped the dungeons, and she was running towards the courtyard. It was eerily empty. She could hear the battle from far away, but there was no fighting around her. This immediately made her suspicious, but she kept running.

A horrible sight met her in the courtyard. Members of both the Fellowship of the Ring and the Company were lying dead at the feet of the white tree. The only living members were Aragorn, Thorin, and Legolas. Bilbo and Frodo were both missing.

"Traitor!" roared Thorin.

"No! I swear… I didn't mean to!" she cried.

"Who are you?" asked Legolas.

"Legolas, it's me! You traveled with me! Don't you remember!"

Suddenly all semblance of light left the courtyard. In its place stood the figure Kylie had seen in Dol Guldur. He was flanked by all nine Nazgǔl'; none of them spoke. Instead, he lifted his hand, and Kylie felt every memory she had involving the whereabouts of the ring race through her mind. Evil laughter flooded her mind, and she saw Bilbo and Frodo suddenly appear before her. They looked at her with identical faces of betrayal as the figure stepped forward and slit their throats.

"No! Stop!" she cried as the figure stole the Ring. Light flashed and the figure materialized. He had long blonde hair, ebony armor, and a very large black sword. His eyes were two wreaths of flame.

No…. Kylie didn't stop screaming once she realized she was standing before Sauron himself.

"Kylie!" whispered a voice in her ear. She felt something shaking her, and she screamed and thrashed more. But the soft voice whispered until she opened her eyes. Bilbo Baggins was standing right next to her in her cell.


	23. Chapter 23: The Smallest Hope

Ch. 23: The Smallest Hope

"Bilbo!" she cried, wrapping the hobbit a tight hug. After watching him be killed by Sauron himself, even if only a dream, Kylie needed reassurance that the hobbit was actually alive and standing before her.

"Ah yes," said Bilbo, who was awkwardly patting her back. "I'm here. Are you alright! I've heard screams."

Kylie nodded reluctantly. "I just… haven't been sleeping well…. There's something really wrong here Bilbo. But how'd you get in here?"

"Well, I seem to recall telling you about my ring before. Did I not?"

"Oh Bilbo, please don't tell me… you're not!"

"How else would I be able to travel around safely?" he challenged.

"But you don't understand… you're not safe!"

Bilbo quickly put a finger to his mouth and vanished. Minutes later, Kylie heard the light footsteps of elvish guards. The red-haired elf led the way to Kylie's cell.

"What happened? What did you just say?"

Kylie wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "Nothing," she said softly.

"We heard the screams," insisted the elf.

"Nothing. I'm fine. It was just a dream," Kylie said a little too defensively.

The elf looked as though she did not believe a word Kylie had said, but she relented anyway. Eventually, the elven guard left. But it Bilbo didn't reappear for at least another ten minutes.

"See?" he whispered urgently. "I have to get you and the dwarves out of here, and I can't very well do that if I'm caught in a cell!"

"But Bilbo…."

"No, this is the only way!"

Kylie sat back. This was a very dangerous game they were playing. But the fact was that Bilbo was right. The elves would not release them until they had revealed the nature of their quest. And if Kylie knew the dwarves, and she'd say she knew them pretty well, they wouldn't breathe a word. But if there really was a Nazgǔl here, they had to leave. But Kylie was so adamantly against Bilbo using the ring_because_ of the Nazgǔl.

"What is it with you and my ring anyway? By my count, it has been nothing but a blessing!"

Kylie stared at the hobbit. What should she say? He was right… although it was completely evil and she'd never trust it ever… they would be dead without it. She could tell him the truth anyway: it was evil. But she knew Bilbo. If she explained everything to him, and if he believed her (which he might), he would never use the ring ever again. That would end their chances of escape, and give the Nazgǔl more time to break in and find them. Once again, it was a horrible risk. Kylie hated it. Still, she settled for telling Bilbo: "There's things at work in this world bigger than the both of us. You've just got to trust me."

"Then you trust me," begged the hobbit. "Listen: I think I might have a plan. Or I will… I just have to look into it, alright? And now that I've found you, plans can move along. Give me this chance."

Kylie knew she had to let Bilbo do this. She hated it, but they didn't have any other choice. "Alright. But Bilbo listen, don't ever leave the palace, alright? And if you ever see anybody who's not an elf, let me know. Alright?"

"What…?"

"Again, trust. Alright Bilbo?"

Bilbo furrowed his brow, but nodded. "Agreed."

"Okay, good. And I'll to what I can. I'll try to keep my eyes out," promised Kylie. "I'll pay attention," she clarified when Bilbo gave her a very confused look.

"Alright. We'll be out of here soon. I promise. But there's just one thing."

"What?"

The hobbit shifted uncomfortably. "Do you mind terribly if I sleep here? I can't leave until the guards open the door again, and…."

"Yeah, sure thing." If the hobbit was surprised at the speed of her response, he didn't show it. "You can have the bed if you'd like. I'll wake you up if the guards are coming. Just… no ring, alright?"

Bilbo nodded, yawned, and he was out much faster than Kylie thought he would have been.

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The next few days passed slowly. For an inmate in the Mirkwood dungeons, Kylie spent a lot of time talking. Legolas came once or twice to either gather information about the possible wraith or attempt to learn how she had been able to recognize him. Another time, he came with the red-headed guard who seemed to take a liking to Kylie (well, at least she did not treat her coldly). The two tried to ask her more questions about her knowledge of both the quest and Legolas, but she stayed silent. She lay in the cell and watched them. Once, Thranduil himself came. Apparently he was "making the rounds", so to speak, to see if any of the dwarves were willing to talk. From what Kylie could tell, nobody was.

Yet as the days progressed, Kylie's dreams grew worse. She would wake up screaming, panting, or both. Eventually she decided that it would be better to just not sleep until the wraith problem was solved. She thought it was a very good, well thought out plan. But about five meals later she passed out.

She found herself following Legolas into the dark tower of Dol Guldur. She tripped over a rock and the elf turned towards her sharply.

"Kylie you know you should not have come here!" he said sharply.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what it was!"

Suddenly, a film passed over Legolas's eyes. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Legolas, it's me!"

"Who are you? How do you know me?"

"No… please no!"

"How do you know me?" the elf yelled, pulling his bow on Kylie.

"No stop!" Kylie tripped over her own feet. She fell hard onto the rocky ground. "Legolas please!"

Suddenly they were not alone. Kylie saw the shadowy figure she'd encountered at the tower. Her body writhed in pain as memories flooded her mind. She knew she was betraying every friend she had ever made with each passing memory. He was looking. He could _see_. She could tell.

"Legolas help!" she screamed. But instead, the elf continued to draw his bow. Then suddenly he dropped his bow. Pain crossed his brow, and his body contorted in a way that Kylie didn't think even Legolas Greenleaf could naturally move. Then it stopped. His eyes turned into wreaths of flame, and he laughed. But it wasn't his laugh. It was an unnatural laugh that didn't belong in her friend's body.

"This way!" cried another voice from very far away. Kylie felt something tearing her away, but she could not escape from the horrible image before her.

"Another dream," said another voice. Kylie was no longer in the open. She was in a cell.

"What did she see…?" Legolas was there.

Kylie screamed at the sight of the elf prince. She cried out uncontrollably, shaking. She was not completely awake and definitely not in her right mind.

"Take her to Lundial!" Legolas ordered sharply.

Kylie felt arms lift her harshly and pull her both out of the cell and out of the dreams. None of it had happened… which really was a relief. But… she whimpered as she was forced to follow the elf. Her body was still weak but even worse… oh what had she done this time?

"What are you doing with her?" said a gruff voice.

Kylie turned to see Bofur, in his cell. "Bofur!" she tried to cry out, but the guards pushed her forward.

"What are they doing to you lass?" the dwarf cried in near panic, trying to shake down his bars.

"I'm okay, I promise!" she said quickly as she watched the dwarf take in her pale complexion and dark circles under her eyes. She was lying, and the dwarf could see it. But the elves were not hurting her. They were just… what exactly where they doing?

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Once again, Kylie found herself in a bed in a plain white room. She wasn't chained this time, but she was locked in a room with guards posted at the door. Apparently, Lundial was some sort of prison psychiatrist to whom she was supposed to divulge ever deep dark secret she'd ever kept. There was no point in hiding her nightmares from the elves; she'd be lucky if the Gundabad orcs themselves didn't hear her screams (scary thought). So she gave vague references to what she saw, but she refused to tell everything. She hadn't even told any of the dwarves the extent of her nightmares. Eventually, the elf sighed and told her she would stay in that room until such time that he declared her mentally stable.

So Kylie found herself lying in a bed, trying not to think of Dol Guldur. Poor Bofur… he must be livid! There was no way that screaming and being dragged away would look good. She could only hope that Bilbo saw the whole thing and would be able to diffuse some tension. Did he see her dragged away? Would it prevent them from escaping? That fear caused Kylie's stomach to churn.

"For many years, I believed stubbornness was a characteristic monopolized by the dwarves," said a voice from the door.

Kylie turned sharply. Legolas was staring at her from the door, arms crossed. Despite the informal setting, she could tell that this was an interrogation.

"They let you question your prisoners when they're in the psych ward?" she snorted.

Legolas moved to the foot of her bed. "You intrigue me," he admitted. "You are clearly but a child, but your demeanor suggests that you have experienced more than most children of your race. You choose to associate yourself with dwarves although most men would actively avoid such company. Furthermore, you keep important secrets. Even if it would be wiser not to. And then it is the knowledge you are privy to….."

Kylie closed her eyes. She couldn't do this. Not now….

"How did you know my name?" he asked finally.

She couldn't do it. Not anymore. "We haven't met yet, but we're going to meet," she said quietly.

She could imagine the confused look on Legolas's face as he said: "Do explain."

"Some seventy or something years from now, there's going to be a war. It's going to be against the evil one, and you're going to teach me everything. I'm an archer because you taught me."

The elf was completely silent. "You finally speak, yet what you suggest cannot be possible."

"Like I said, I'm in the psych ward."

"I ask you to tell the truth!"

"But that is the truth."

"Yet it is impossible; how can it be true?"

Kylie shrugged. "I guess somebody just wants me here."

The elf shook his head. "Will you say nothing more?"

"Legolas I swear: you're my friend. Or you're going to be. I'd never lie to you!"

The elf left.

A/N: Well, trying to get this out! I'm going up to school for a few days, so I won't be able to update for probably about a week. Hope you enjoyed!


	24. Chapter 24: Rollin' Down the Bend

Ch. 24: Rollin' Down the Bend

When the elven shrink came to talk to Kylie again, she was a little more forthcoming about her nightmares. But not much. She hinted that they were related to something evil in the forest, but not much more. She was beginning to think the elven shrink was going to give up and just send her back to the cells. Well further down was further from the wraith, she assumed. Besides, Bilbo had a plan, and she'd need to be within his reach when it was time to escape. That meant the dungeons.

Still, it couldn't hurt to probe….

"So Dol Guldur… you guys haven't found anything there… have you?" she began in the middle of a session.

Lundial's face darkened. This was clearly not the direction he had wanted the examination to go. "We are not allowed to travel within leagues of that tower!"

Kylie crossed her arms. "And why not?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss that."

"What about patient-doctor confidentiality?"

The elf barely tried to hide his confusion. "I guarantee nothing of the sort. And as for… the tower… all the darkness of this entire forest seems to have stemmed from that location. There has not been an evil in this world since…. Well, this world has seen darker days."

Kylie snorted. "Oh yeah. Just you wait…."

There was a pounding on the door and the elf opened it faster than Kylie could say "evil ring". Legolas and a set of guards appeared on the other side. "Your examination is concluded, Lundial?"

"Yes." If it were possible for an elf to look flustered, he would have. "A sleeping tonic each night ought to subdue the problem."

"Legolas, please…" Kylie looked into the elf's eyes, searching for some sort of answer.

But the elf just stared back. "Resist and things will become uncomfortable," he promised.

Kylie just nodded and stood up. Well she tried… she told Legolas the truth and he didn't believe her. That wasn't her fault. Yet, there had to be something else she could try.

"Literally the first thing you did when we met was teach me to shoot," she told Legolas.

"You continue to speak of such things," replied the elf curtly.

She continued. "We were on a quest to Mordor. I was only fifteen at the time, so I as a little nervous. But you told me that I'd be stupid if I wasn't afraid. Then you wanted to teach me how to defend myself." This time, the elf stayed silent. "Legolas believe me… it's _weird_! This whole thing's strange. But that's what happened."

She could see the look of disbelief on the elf's face. But there was a little confusion there as well. "You claim to have been allowed on such a quest when you were fifteen? You would not have been of age. No father would ever let his child on such a quest!"

"My parents are home. It's complicated. Besides… I'm just eighteen now."

Legolas gazed in her direction. His eyes betrayed a small amount of doubt. To the very least, he was disturbed by this new information.

"My Lord!" cried a voice from behind them suddenly. Kylie and her escort all turned to see another elf guard running towards them. "Sire, we're under attack!"

Legolas immediately pulled out his bow. "How many?"

"There must be hundreds, all on wargs! They are led by a pale orc, one of the largest I've ever seen!"

Kylie's face paled. "Azog," she whispered.

Legolas turned sharply to her. "What do you know of this?"

"Azog the Defiler. He's been following us ever since Rivendell. How'd they find us here…?" She muttered the last part more to herself.

"You and your dwarves brought the Defiler to Mirkwood!" hissed Legolas.

"We didn't do it on purpose!"

"Tauriel, mobilize the guard. Remove everyone from the prisons, and bring them up! The rest of you, follow me!"

The red-haired elf (so her name was Tauriel) grabbed Kylie and pulled her close. "I will take you back to your cell, and I will try to keep you safe. But any attempt to escape, and you die," she promised. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

Tauriel gripped Kylie's shoulder and dragged her down towards the prisons.

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They made it back without incident and Tauriel practically threw Kylie in her cell. But Kylie didn't blame her for the force. If Azog was really there….

"Kylie!" Bilbo materialized in front of her. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"No, it's not alright! Azog's here!"

Bilbo paled. "How…?"

"It doesn't matter. Look! Stay safe, alright?"

"Stay there. I'll be right back."

"Bilbo, wait!" Kylie called. What was that hobbit doing? If he was going to get himself killed….

She paced frantically for at least twenty minutes before Bilbo appeared again.

"Bilbo… what're you doing?"

"It's time to leave! If Azog's here, we don't want to be! And the elves have left us alone! It's now or never!"

"Huh?"

"Escape! Remember when I told you I had a plan of sorts? Balin and I have been talking… and we may never get such an opportunity again!" The hobbit grabbed her hand and dragged her to the other cells, opening them quickly and ushering the dwarves forward with promises of freedom. Bofur literally grabbed Kylie upon release and inquired about her health. It took them an entire five minutes of their precious time to assure him that Kylie was well. Finally, they reached Thorin's cell in the darkest, dankest part of the entire elven realm.

"Upon my word!" said Thorin, "Gandalf spoke true, as usual! A pretty fine burglar you make, it seems, when time comes. I am sure we are all forever at your service."

"Oh no," said Bilbo quickly. "Just doing what I was brought to do."

"What of the company?" asked Thorin. "Is all well? I heard screams…."

Bilbo interrupted: "The elves didn't hurt anybody. But come! We have a very small window of opportunity, and we must take advantage of it!" Thorin nodded, but still looked around at his company. No matter how much Kylie tried to look innocent, he probably noticed the dark circles under her eyes and pale complexion. But if he noticed, he didn't show and gestured for the dwarves to move.

Making about as much noise as a gas explosion, the company snuck to… somewhere. She had no idea where they were going. And when they finally arrived… well, it didn't look like much.

"Bilbo, what is they place?" she asked hesitantly.

"Look!" said Bilbo. He walked over to a lever and tried to pull it. The dwarves waited patiently (or not) as the hobbit pulled the lever and a trapdoor opened feet away.

"We're supposed to go swimming out of Mirkwood," said Kylie.

"I can't swim…" Bombur trailed off.

"No, no, no…" said Bilbo quickly, "we're going to ride the barrels. See! They're plenty big. Kylie you may be a little squished, but that cannot be helped, I am afraid."

"We shall be bruised and battered to pieces, and drowned too, for certain!" growled Dwalin softly.

"We thought you had got some sensible notion when you managed to get hold of the keys. This is perfectly mad!" murmured Gloin.

Bilbo threw up his hands. "Very well! Come along back to your nice cells and I will lock you all in again, and you can sit there comfortably and think of a better plan. But I don't suppose I shall ever get hold of the keys again, even if I feel inclined to try. And even if I can, I don't suppose there'll ever be a time that the elves conveniently decide to leave you unguarded due to an orc attack…."

"Orcs!" gasped Ori.

"Azog's here. We've got to get out…" started Kylie.

"Azog is here!" cried Thorin. "Where?"

"I don't know, but we have to leave now… Thorin!"

The dwarf picked up his weapons from the pile in the corner of the room and stalked towards the door.

"Thorin, stop!" cried Balin. But only Dwalin, Fili, and Kili rushed forward to restrain the dwarf.

"Let me go!" roared Thorin. "This must end!"

"But here? No Thorin, you must lead the quest! You must get us to Erebor!"

"And lead Azog to our home?" yelled the leader.

"Thorin, please!" called Fili. Thorin paused momentarily as he looked into the eyes of his oldest nephew. "We cannot continue without a leader. We cannot leave you behind to the mercy of the elves, or worse!"

"You do not understand," said Thorin savagely.

"We understand that our uncle is about to go on a suicide mission and leave us to fight a dragon on our own!" said Kili desperately.

"Come on Thorin, listen to the lads," said Dwalin.

Thorin relented. He did not look happy about it, but he relented.

"Thank heavens," murmured Bilbo. "Now into the barrels! I found your weapons, or some weapons at any rate, but get them! Hurry!"

"You heard the burglar! Into the barrels, this is our only chance!" called Thorin, distributing weapons and helping company members into barrels. He pulled Kylie and Kili aside. "The two of you are our best archers," he said, handing them their bows. "Defend us, if necessary."

"Yes Thorin," said Kili without hesitation as he strapped on his quiver. Kylie too strapped on her quiver, but she prayed with all her might that she would not be forced to shoot at the elves.

"Come on!" ushered Bilbo. Kylie found a barrel up top and climbed inside, but had to awkwardly reposition herself towards the top of the barrel. The hobbit was right. She was going to be quite cramped in here. And just as she repositioned herself, the world fell out from beneath her. She screamed very loudly as they fell into utter darkness. Kylie felt water spill inside, and for a second she was afraid that her barrel would sink. But the barrel practically jumped out of the river, and there was only maybe an inch of water in her barrel.

"Is everyone here?" called Thorin after a minute.

"Think so…" she thought she could hear Balin say.

"I'm here!" called Bombur.

"Bilbo?" called Bofur.

They heard coughing. "Here," coughed a small voice.

"Did you get a barrel?" called Kili.

"Of sorts." Kylie didn't really like the sound of Bilbo's tone.

Neither did Thorin. "First light, somebody help him!"

"Gloin, can you light a fire?"

"In a wooden barrel? I think not!"

"Not even to save Mr. Boggins?" said Kili slyly.

"Now young master Kili, I _know_ you know my name by now!" growled Bilbo. Clearly, water makes hobbits vicious.

"Oh, cheery up Bilbo!"

"Light!" called Fili.

Kylie looked ahead to see a little speck of light that was quickly growing larger by the second. Exactly how fast was that river flowing? Kylie gasped as very suddenly, the great river pushed them out of the elvish tunnel and into the open. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to her new surroundings.

"Bilbo!" cried Bofur. Everybody looked to see little Bilbo holding onto a barrel for dear life.

"Hold on!" cried Ori, who was closest. He reached over his barrel to paddle towards the hobbit, but he almost tipped his own barrel over.

"Ori no!" called Thorin.

"Take this!" called Dori, tossing a sword to his brother. Ori used the blade to paddle close enough to the hobbit to help him into the barrel. Kylie supposed Bilbo said thank you, but the roaring of the river prevented her from hearing.

"The dwarves!" yelled a voice from shore. Kylie turned sharply towards an elf lookout. But hopefully they'd be preoccupied enough with the orcs that….

"Stop them!" cried another voice. And before Kylie knew it, dozens of elves were racing with them on the trees.

"Kylie! Kili!" called Thorin.

Kylie felt the urge to vomit. She did not want to kill elves…she did not want to kill elves! But she picked up the bow and worked to notch an arrow. She'd hate to think of what Thorin would do if she didn't... She turned to look at Kili. Actually, he looked almost as hesitant as her. He had his bow out, but seemed to have no intention of shooting at that moment.

"Bows at the ready!" ordered Thorin.

Kylie was ready to shoot, but something even worse caught her eye. It was hard to tell from the distance, but she saw black shapes further along in the trees. "Nori," she called to the dwarves closest to shore, "are those orcs?"

His eyes narrowed, but the look of horror on his face told her all she needed.

"Look, orcs!" she called back to the company. The dwarves all paddled away from shore, but the elves kept running right into the hands of the real enemy! They were so preoccupied with the dwarves that they just didn't notice! Or maybe they didn't understand plain English…. Legolas himself led the warriors far ahead to a branch hanging over the river. Faster than she thought imaginable, the elves worked to construct some sort of net which probably would have stopped them in their escape. If it weren't for the orcs.

So Kylie did the only thing that made sense at the time. It was one of the dumber things she could have done, but she wasn't about to let her friend be killed. No matter what he thought about her, she couldn't see Legolas die. "_YRCH_!" she screamed.

Looking back, she probably shouldn't have used the elvish word. If she'd noticed the dwarves, she would have noticed the looks of shock and horror on their faces. But it did the trick. The elves turned just in time to repel the initial attack. Kylie herself pulled back her bow and shot at the orcs.

"We don't have time!" Thorin roared at her. "Paddle! Everyone, paddle!"

Kylie did. She used her bow to propel her past the tree. But then she continued to fire at the loathsome creatures. How could she not?

"Kylie! Right!" called Nori.

Kylie turned to her right just in time to see it. There, standing on the shore, was Azog the Defiler.

"Thorin!" she yelled, catching the dwarf's attention. He stared, wide-eyed, at his foe.

Maybe if Azog had heard Kylie's call, he would have noticed his real quarry. But instead, his eyes were drawn towards the first figure he recognized: the girl who killed his warg.

Everything started to go in slow motion. Kylie watched as Azog leapt high towards her, sword brandished. Kylie pulled back and shot at her foe. She was able to get the arrow off. However, it landed in his side, only enraging the orc further. There was only one option if Kylie wanted to stay alive. She rolled the barrel over, dumping herself into the icy cold river.

A/N: Thank you all for waiting patiently! I gave you a bit of a longer chapter to make up for it :) And thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciate it!


	25. Chapter 25: The Whole Truth

Ch. 25: The Whole Truth; Nothing But the Truth

The river was dark and cold, but Kylie kicked her way to the surface. Several voices were calling her name, but she couldn't focus on those. The pale orc was growling at her from the barrel, holding his sword high. She kicked away, but the orc was at a definite advantage. Kylie could not hold her sword and hope to stay afloat at the same time. She was a strong swimmer, but the cold was zapping her already depleted energy.

Then a dwarvish cry caught her attention. Thorin had caught up to them. But Kylie couldn't watch. She could not find the energy to stay afloat any longer and started to sink. Then several arms pulled her out of the water. Bofur was in front of her, helping her into a barrel with Kili. She crouched inside so both of them would fit and turned their attentions to the battle at hand.

Although Balin and Dwalin had nearly caught up at this point, the fight was clearly between Thorin and the Defiler. The orc increased the intensity of his attack. Azog's mace flew into Thorin's barrel, causing it to leak. The orc then hit both Dwalin and Balin on the head. She couldn't tell if Azog was trying to kill, or simply get them out of the way. Either way, it gave him better access to Thorin, who was trying to balance on his barrel. The dwarf was barely able to repel the attack as Azog bore down on him again. Kylie reached back for her bow only to find that Kili was attempting to do the same thing. This was one thing they had not counted on: putting both of the archers in one barrel incapacitated them. They both struggled for a better reach, almost tipping the barrel over in the process.

Then Kylie saw an arrow enter Azog's head. The orc just stopped suddenly and all light left his dark eyes. There was no doubt. Azog the Defiler was dead.

Neither she nor Kili had fired that shot; of that much she was certain. She turned in the direction the arrow came from. Legolas, prince of Mirkwood, was lowering his bow. He had come to a closer branch and, somehow, found the opportunity to shoot the orc and save their lives. He nodded at Kylie as they made eye contact.

"Thorin!" cried Balin. Thorin was now struggling to balance on his nearly completely submerged barrel. Balin helped his king into his own barrel and then passed out. Dori held onto Dwalin's barrel to steady the other dwarf. Thorin, meanwhile, glared openly at Kylie. He may have helped save her life, but she was not in his good graces.

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Kylie was shivering by the time the tide pulled them to shore. Kili tipped their barrel over and the two of them crawled towards the grass. They were exhausted, and every bone in each of their bodies ached with discomfort. Balin and Thorin were in a similar condition, although their combined weight was much higher than that of Kili and Kylie. That, plus Balin was sporting a very handsome bruise on his forehead. Their barrel had sunk lower, so they were much wetter than Kili. Kylie however, who had thrown herself into the water, looked and felt like a drowned rat.

Suddenly, something grabbed her shirt. Several of the dwarves cried out Thorin's name as he pulled Kylie to her knees as his eyes bored into her.

"How do you know their language?" he growled.

"Their language?" Kylie's brain legitimately could not register what he was saying.

"You warned the elves about the orcs in their own language!"

"That? Oh, that's the only word I know…."

"How?" he repeated.

"And how did you know that prince's name?" asked Dwalin from the back. That was when Kylie noticed the rest of the dwarves. They were just staring at her. Some looked on in betrayal. Others, such as Bilbo, simply stared at the interaction in confusion. Some stared at her with such intent hate that it was scary. Thorin fell into the last category.

"I… I…." She could not think of any explanation.

"You have been dishonest. You have been vague. I have given you many chances to tell the truth to myself and this company. This is your last chance. Now."

Kylie's eye shifted back and forth. The dwarves continued to stare, and even Bilbo seemed to see that there was something wrong. That was when she realized that the truth was the only option.

"You're not going to believe it," promised Kylie. Thorin looked like he was literally about to combust. "No, no… okay… but please listen, okay?" She sat down, still utterly exhausted. "I'm from the future." Thorin's eyes flashed with fury. "No wait, I promise it's true! I came here three years ago my time and like eighty years ahead in yours! The trolls? Where I came in? We saw those then. They were still standing there. And we went to Rivendell, and then that quest to Gondor? That's eighty years from now."

"And we are supposed to believe that?" scoffed Thorin.

Kylie's eyes widened. "You don't?" This was different from when Legolas and Elrond didn't believe her. Considering her current predicament, she needed Thorin to believe her. The dwarf king was on the edge. For the first time since she joined the company, outside battles of course, Kylie was frightened for her safety.

"A story such as that?"

"It's the truth! We went from Rivendell to Moria to…."

"You traversed through Moria?" grumbled Thorin.

"Yes! And I went with Gimli!"

Gloin perked up. "You said, Gimli?"

"Yes, your son!" said Kylie. "He had your axes, and he sort of looked like you!"

"He always did favor my father," reminisced Gloin.

"That's why I rescued you back with the trolls," explained Kylie. "I thought Gloin was Gimli, and so I attacked."

Thorin looked far from convinced. "And how is this supposed to convince me that you are trustworthy?"

"Thorin, I had planned to give Gimli these axes when he comes of age," said Gloin slowly.

"Even if this were true," said Thorin slowly, "she has befriended the elves of Mirkwood! The enemy!"

Kylie coughed. "I swear Thorin, they weren't the enemy! We had another enemy!"

"Another enemy?"

"Thorin, come," said Balin. "We shall resolve this. But for now, we must continue to safety. Who knows if the orcs followed us? Or elves?"

"Aye, and Lake-town is only a little while away if I remember correctly," approached Bofur carefully.

Thorin nodded. But in a quick display of strength, he pulled Kylie's face inches away from his own. "This is not finished," he promised firmly.

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Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Bilbo went ahead to Lake-Town. All the rest could do was wait anxiously as the four went ahead. Kylie curled up by a fire, trying to get warm. But it was really cold, and she'd spent way too much time in a river. She knew that she probably should change clothes, but she didn't have another set. So she just lay there.

Bofur plopped down next to her. "At least you have one thing to look forward to," he said confidently.

"What?"

"Good food. I'm sure Thorin will get us into Lake Town. If I remember correctly, the townsmen of Dale had very good relations with the King Under the Mountain. When there was one."

"Dale?"

"Dale was the city that lay beneath the mountain," explained Balin. "They were our allies when the mountain prospered, but the town was destroyed when the dragon came. All the descendants of Dale live in Lake Town."

"So they'll help us?"

The dwarves shrugged. Kylie noticed that some of them looked warily at her. They didn't trust her; at least most of them didn't. "I won't betray you to the elves or anything. You're my friends!" she said.

"What I don't understand," said Balin, speaking for the rest of the dwarves, "is why you were not honest with us from the beginning."

"Well, it's not like you'd believe me anyways," she mumbled.

"I'm still not sure you speak the truth," grumbled Dwalin from the other side of camp.

"That's why I didn't tell you! I mean, would you have believed me if I told you that I went from Rivendell to Rohan to Isengard to Gondor and then to Mordor with two men, an elf, a dwarf, a wizard, and four hobbits?" The dwarves continued to stare and Kylie inched close to the fire again. "Honestly, I've seen things that make the elves look like child's play. That's why I can trust them. They were paranoid, but that's it." Kylie dissolved into a coughing fit and Bofur pat her on the back.

"While we are on the topic, what business did you have throughout all of Middle Earth?" asked Balin.

"We were trying to make sure Sauron wouldn't come back."

Most of the dwarves' heads shot up. The "S" word certainly got their attention.

"What do you know about such matters?" asked Balin very seriously.

Kylie curled into a fetal position. "Well, I know Sauron's seriously evil and has a major power complex. But he'd never be able to rise up and become supreme Lord over Middle Earth unless he got his ring back."

Balin nodded. "You claim he will rise, and try to find his ring."

"Yeah, something like that."

All the heads turned as heavy footsteps approached from the pathway. "We can discuss this later," said Balin suddenly. "Thorin!"

Kylie merely rolled over. The small group that had departed returned. Thorin's face looked much happier than Kylie had ever seen it. "Come! We were all invited to a feast in town!"

"Perfect!" cried Bombur, struggling to his feet.

"The Master of Lake Town wants to have feast just for us!" cried Kili, picking up Bilbo. The hobbit spurted water and coughed the entire way to Lake Town.

A/N: Well, there's the next chapter! I'm going to try to keep up writing, but I start school Monday and I'm going to be pretty busy until then! But I'll try to update around once a week!

And as always, thank you so much for all the support and lovely reviews! I always appreciate feedback. And many of you have mentioned really wanting a reunion with Kylie and the fellowship. And... depending on where this story ends up... it might be possible. Or I may write a third story. Thoughts? Opinions?


	26. Chapter 26: Little Town on the Lake

Ch. 26: Little Town on the Lake

The entire company struggled to walk to Lake Town which, as Kylie soon discovered, was exactly that: a little town centered on a large lake. Personally, she was not too sure building a civilization based on corrodible material on a lake was the best idea, but that was their decision. Really what was the worst that could happen in the near future?

Kylie stayed in the back with Balin, trying to help him forward.

"Really lass, you do not need to stay back and help an old dwarf," he said.

"Tell that to the gash on your face. Besides… I'm not sure most of the rest of the company's wanting to talk to me."

Balin looked at her sympathetically. "They will come around, lass. It will be difficult, but I think they will realize that you meant us no harm. But you do not understand what those elves did to us."

Kylie coughed. "I was there."

The old dwarf shook his head. "No, I mean what they did to us when the dragon came. We had an alliance of sorts, but when the dragon came they offered no aid. They did not help us fight they dragon. They did not even help our kinsmen flee."

"But… but that doesn't make sense…." The dragon part made perfect sense; even Kylie was not sure she'd have the courage to come face to face with a real dragon. But to not even provide aid? That information was not compatible with the friendship she had experienced with Legolas.

There was a strange light in Balin's eyes. "No, it does not. But that is what they did lass. That is why we cannot trust the elves. That is why we could not tell them of our quest."

"You do know that I didn't, right? Didn't tell them?"

"I do. And deep down, I believe Thorin knows as well. As for the others… give them time. Trust must be rebuilt."

Kylie sighed, and that sigh turned into a cough. She'd worked so hard to make them trust her so she could destroy the ring. Now she'd have to make them trust her because… well… she cared for them. She liked being in their company.

"Tell me of Moria," said Balin.

"Moria?" asked Kylie. "Why do you want to know about that place?"

"An old dwarf's curiosity. You know we did fight to regain Moria, do you?"

Kylie could not help but stare, wide-eyed. "Why?"

Kylie's tone probably offended the old dwarf, but Balin just shook his head. "It is one of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth. Why would we not?"

"Okay, I'll give you that one. It was pretty cool. I mean, it was hard to see everything and I really wasn't paying too close attention. But I remember the Mithril. I don't think I've ever seen anything so shiny ever. But that place was infested with goblins… and the Balrog…" she added quietly. Memories of the fellowship running from the demonic creature made her shiver. Or maybe that was just the cold.

Balin's eyes widened. "What know you of Durin's Bane?" he asked quietly.

"Dur… that's what you call it? It was kind of like a big, fiery, overgrown, demonic troll." Kylie shivered. "It had a whip… and we would never have survived without Gandalf. We crossed the bridge of Khazad-dûm and… we never would have survived without Gandalf." The dwarves did not need to know that Gandalf died protecting them only to be resurrected as Gandalf the White. That was just too complicated.

"So you encountered Durin's Bane?" repeated Balin a little more loudly.

"Yeah, that's what I just said." Kylie felt uncomfortable that all the dwarves seemed to be staring at her now. Normally, Oin was the one who talked so loud that he gained the entire company's attention.

"Durin's Bane," repeated Balin. Kylie nodded and moved a little closer to Bilbo, trying to ignore the dwarves' stares.

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The feast was not very notable in Kylie's opinion. It was definitely the best food she'd had in weeks, but it was quiet from her end. The Master of Lake Town talked with Thorin about reclaiming the mountain and the riches inside. Kylie noticed Bilbo give Thorin a few strange glances, but the dwarf didn't notice. And she was slowly but surely getting a headache that pretty much ruined all of dinner.

"… and you should have seen the look on their faces!" Kili finished. "Utterly astounded, I would say."

"I would say so," laughed Bofur. "You look more like a drowned rat than a prince of Erebor."

"Yet, you should have seen the looks on the maidens' faces!"

Kylie snorted. "Oh please."

"Oh Kylie," Kili smiled, putting an arm around her. "I shan't forget you!"

She gave a glare, but it made her feel a little better. At least one other dwarf didn't think she'd betrayed them all. "Maybe after we've killed the dragon."

"Ah come on lass, let him have his fun," said Bofur, laughing.

"Besides, I don't have to worry it, do I? You said we were going to reclaim the mountain?"

"Well yeah, I think you do…."

"What do I look like in the future? Not this, do I?" He laughed, putting on Bofur's hat. "And what about my wife? Is she lovely? How is her beard? How is my beard?"

"Wife? Beard?" Kylie gasped almost a little too loud.

Fili laughed and covered Kylie's mouth. "The more luscious the beard, the more…."

"All our lasses have beards," interrupted Gloin loudly.

Kylie rubbed her chin. "That's… different."

"What's _different_ is that you don't have a beard!" exclaimed Kili. "But really, what are we like in the future?"

"Honestly, I don't know. The only one I ever maybe met was Gloin."

Bilbo turned to Kylie. "None of them?"

She shook her head. "I met you though. You have white hair. Or you will."

Bilbo sat back. "Old Took had white hair…" he reminisced.

"You mean in all your time in Middle Earth, you never stopped to see the splendor of Erebor?"

"No, I went the wrong direction. No, really. It was a mission to save Middle Earth," she added when Kili scoffed. "We went from Rivendell to Mordor."

The two young dwarves' faces darkened. Clearly, even they had heard something about the darkness associated with that place. "I was pretty occupied," she continued, rubbing her nose.

"You have to tell us all about it!" said Kili.

"Tomorrow," said Balin. It was almost unnerving how he was able to hear important bits of the conversations. "For now, the feast is over. The Master has offered us a house and anything else we might need."

"Dry clothes?" asked Kylie. She was sure she had blisters all over from her soaked clothing. But she felt warm….

"Yes lass. And we need to get you dry!"

"And Master Baggins!" said Nori, hoisting poor Bilbo high on his shoulder. "He decided to take a very important plunge today!"

"Now it was just a little more difficult for me to get into a barrel," insisted Bilbo.

"Whatever you say Master Boggins," smirked Kili.

"My name is Baggins, young Master Kili!" cried Bilbo indignantly.

"Come," said Thorin, ushering each of them along. "Our house is right next door. For convenience," he added gruffly.

"If they're going to give us free food!" cried Bombur, trotting along. Kylie was not completely sure, but it definitely looked like he had pastries hidden in his jacket.

"The Master said we would be provided for," said Thorin, opening the door. "And you would do well not to take food from under the noses of our hosts."

Bombur mumbled something about a midnight snack and went inside the house. Thorin's eyes followed Kylie as she followed the much fatter dwarf.

The house was a quaint little place. It was all wooden with a large fireplace. There was a sofa, or something that looked like it would be the Middle-Earth equivalent of a sofa, right by the fireplace. But on the table, there were clothes for each of the company members. Kylie even saw a few dresses for her.

"The Master said this house has four rooms, but enough beds for each of us. Inspect the rooms with your respective family members, and we shall fit everybody in somehow." Just then, Bilbo sneezed. And Kylie sniffed. Her nose was starting to run. "You two get out of your wet clothes," ordered Thorin.

Kylie did not hesitate. She picked up clothing that was clearly meant for her and went into the bathroom to bathe and change. It did not take her too long, but she heard voices on the other side of the door. Balin and Thorin were discussing something seriously.

"… she knows the language, Balin! It is not a matter of naïve trust; she has spent time with the elves! And if she knows the prince of Mirkwood…."

"Thorin, the prince of Mirkwood did not know her! Even he could not hide his surprise whenever she called out his name."

"Then are you suggesting that she is truly from before our time?"

"It is possible, Thorin. She is already from a different world; this much we know. Why should this be much more surprising? Besides, from what I could gather, she is quite familiar with subjects she should have no knowledge of. She is not of royal blood, and she is a woman! You and I both know that a female from a foreign world would not have access education on the history of Middle Earth."

"What would you have me do? Risk our quest for a child who may or may not run to the elves at next convenience?"

"She knew of Durin's Bane!" added the older dwarf passionately.

There was a moment of silence. Thorin said something softly in the dwarves' native language that Kylie did not understand.

"Yes," replied Balin. "She knew more than most histories have recorded, and certainly more than the legends infest the world of man! And she has been to Moria. Of that much I am growing more certain."

More silence. "What would you have me do with such information?" demanded Thorin softly.

"I do not know," admitted Balin. "Perhaps it would be wiser to leave her here, as you suggested. Or perhaps you should talk to her; see what you can learn. But we must not rush to a hasty judgment."

A/N: Here's a bit of a longer chapter. Once again, I love feedback! Writing's going to be a lot slower due to school and... unfortunately... a minor case of writer's block. So please review! What would you like to see in the story? No promises, but you never know! I could use motivation and inspiration. :)


	27. Chapter 27: A Severe Sickness

Ch. 27: A Severe Sickness

Kylie sat up slowly. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was resting in a comfortable bed. She looked around. The fireplace was a maybe a yard away. She could see the table and a few chairs piled up in a corner on the other side of the room. Oh yes, this was Lake Town. This was the living room for the house they shared. Now, she was lying on the sofa in their common room.

That was when she remembered: she had gone to bed listening to the loud voices of Thorin and Balin leaking through the walls. Still talking about her. They had seemed to reach some sort of truce when she finally drifted off. Then there was the nightmare. It was bad… but not as bad as the ones in Mirkwood. She had awoken, panting hard. Then she was thirsty… her legs felt very wobbly as she walked down the stairs. She remembered falling a few times, but the dwarves never woke up. They were all heavy sleepers… thank God. The last thing she needed was for a bunch of vicious dwarves in nightshirts attacking the offending furniture, and then to have to explain why the house was in shambles the next day. She had a glass of water and, well, that was all she remembered. Apparently at some point she decided that she couldn't make it back up the stairs. But it was dark, and she was still tired, so she lay back on the couch and watched the fire dance feet away.

But as she drifted off, that fire turned into the wreath of flame that she knew to be the eye of Sauron. Once again, she woke up shaking and panting. Her lungs protested the sudden intake of air and she coughed violently.

But somebody was there. Somebody was helping her sit up. "Are you well?" Bofur asked loudly. He, Balin, and Kili were all standing over her. Kili, at least, looked distinctly afraid.

Kylie panted harder, but her coughing stopped. "I'm okay…." She lay back down, trying to rest.

"You're burning up," said Bofur, touching her forehead. "Kili, get the lass some water." With that, the youngest dwarf ran across the room. That was when Kylie noticed that nearly half the company was at the table eating. Dwalin stared at her, with strange looks in his eyes. Fili helped his brother find a cup. Nori, Ori, and Dori all sat around eating something that looked a lot like bacon. And Thorin was coming down the stairs. Right into the path of his nephews.

"Kili!" Half of the water that had once been in the cup covered the Dwarf King's face.

"Kylie's sick," he stated before passing his uncle to Kylie's sofa. Kylie took the water and tried to take a sip, but she could barely hold it. Her hands were so sweaty that the glass almost slipped from her hands. The water tasted funny, but she drank as quickly as she could manage.

"What are you doing here, lass?" asked Balin. "You need to rest."

"Came down at night," she said as she finished the glass.

The next thing she knew, Kili had lifted her up over his shoulder.

"Kili!" she cried in surprise.

"Sorry!" chirped the young dwarf as he carried Kylie up the stairs. She heard Bilbo's cry of astonishment as Kili set her on the bed.

"His idea," Kylie answered the hobbit before he had a chance to ask.

Thorin followed them into the room, crossing his arms. "Kili, fetch more water. And give Mr. Baggins a cup as well. And tell Oin to bring gather some tea and herbs." The younger dwarf barreled down the stairs. Kylie could hear the nearly comic voices of dwarves as the youngest dwarf (at least very likely) barreled into them.

Thorin placed his hand on Kylie's forehead to confirm her condition. "Rest," he ordered. "You were exposed to the elements as well."

"Bilbo?" asked Kylie, looking in his direction. The poor hobbit looked a little like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: his hair stood out against his pale complexion and he had, of course, a red nose.

"I'm perfectly alright," coughed the hobbit indignantly. "What of you? Where were you? Did you have another nightmare?"

Kylie looked across the room to the hobbit, who looked even more miserable than she felt. But he was staring at her with the same concern he had when they were in Mirkwood.

"The nightmares. They continued?" demanded Thorin.

"They were bad," said Bilbo in a very monotone voice.

Thorin turned back to Kylie, who was trying to hide under the covers. "It was you screaming in the dungeons. Was it not?"

Kylie nodded from under the sheets. "Yeah."

Thorin impatiently uncovered her head. "You do not dream of the warg."

"Nope."

"What is it?"

Kylie dried her hands and took a sip of water. "Future stuff. You know. Or not…." But Thorin's eyes continued to bore into her. "Just a battle we went through in Gondor against orcs and…. Well, the world's going to be a darker place," Kylie shrugged, snuggling herself further into her bed.

The room was so silent that Kili looked incredibly uncomfortable just walking in. He gave Bilbo and Kylie their cups, and stood next to his uncle. Thorin was just standing in the middle of the room. He did not look angry. He simply looked… contemplative. Finally, what felt like ten minutes later, he spoke.

"Have you ever heard about the Battle of Azanulbizar?" Thorin asked her finally.

"A little. A battle for Moria, right?"

Thorin nodded. "Very few of my people had seen such bloodshed before this battle. Hundreds upon hundreds fell, but the battle claimed thousands. It would begin with terrors in the night. Several nights, I heard screams from within our encampment. These dreams followed my people wherever we went. Some sought help from kindred. Others were neither as wise nor as lucky. Eventually, these ones would lose their mind."

Kili glanced at his uncle as he told this story. Thorin was not the type to open himself up to others in any way; it was likely the first time Kili had heard anything like this. Even more disconcerting were Thorin's eyes. They had such a haunted look that Kylie believed Thorin had been affected by such dreams.

The dwarf continued. "War sickness. That is what we call it. I have watched many a warrior fall to it since Azanulbizar, and I have no intention of allowing any more to succumb to its power. Tell me of these dreams."

Kylie looked at Kili. He looked scared. Bilbo, too, was staring at her. "I can't…."

Thorin's look grew hard. "Those who stayed silent slowly, but surely, lost their minds."

Kylie still remained silent. It was too hard… it was too much to have to intentionally remember any of it again. The stress put her in a coughing fit.

"Kylie?" asked Kili softly. He set a chair right by her bed and sat down as Kylie's breathing became regular again. "We are here for you. You know we are."

Kylie nodded and stole a glance at Bilbo. The hobbit nodded; his red nose moving up and down rapidly. So she took a deep breath. "In my dream… it's based on a memory. The dreams are all different but… there was a fight at Minas Tirith. Sauron wanted to take it because he was afraid of a king coming back. He sent his lieutenants to fight. The Nazgǔl." She watched the reactions. Clearly, neither Kili nor Bilbo had heard of those evil creatures. But Thorin's eyes widened. She had no doubt the dwarf king had at least heard dark tales of these deadly servants. "I actually killed one earlier, and I guess that got some unwanted attention." She shivered. "So I went up to the crypt. I actually got in a fight with the Steward, and then… it came. The Witch-King. He… attacked. He killed the steward. And one of my friends. Then… then he… he grabbed..." She put her hand on her throat, but quickly moved it. Tears started to form in her eyes. She couldn't continue… she just couldn't.

To her relief, Thorin nodded slowly. Kili, on the other hand, couldn't contain himself: "He laid hands on you?"

Kylie nodded. She was shaking badly at this point. "He didn't kill me… but… but…." Tears filled her eyes and she turned away.

"Well, he's gone," said Kili, trying to comfort her. She felt his hand on her shoulder.

"But he's not! They're all still here. They're supposed to die in eighty years… and you don't know what these things are! They're evil! Like literally… if evil had a body it would be a Nazgǔl..." she blabbered.

"They are things of legend," acknowledged Thorin. "But they are no more. Sauron was vanquished."

Kylie shook her head. "That was a temporary thing. Things are in motion as we speak, Thorin. That's what I was _doing_ last time I was here!"

"What is in motion?" he asked.

Kylie looked nervously at Bilbo. "I can't say. Gandalf told me not to. He said it wasn't wise to know the future. But Sauron's planning on making a big comeback…." Her vision was growing blurry.

Thorin's gaze hardened, but he said nothing.

"I agree," said Bilbo. "About telling everything at least. 'Those who know the future often make it happen', after all."

"Who said that?" asked Kili.

"My father. Did not believe in adventures, not the slightest I shall admit. But he was a wise old hobbit."

"Sounds like it," agreed the younger dwarf.

Kylie felt her eyes roll into the back of her head. She really did feel terrible…. She thought she could hear Thorin say her name, and the word "sedative" come up, but she allowed herself to drift off. And asleep she remained. Whatever happened, her mind was at peace for a long time. Unfortunately that night, the nightmares returned with a vengeance. Shaking and coughing, she sat straight up. She did not have the control to suppress a small cry.

"Kylie?" asked Bilbo from across the room. Fili, Kili, and Thorin, with whom she and the hobbit shared a room, also stared at her.

She looked at the little hobbit, trying to control the fear in her eyes. But her breathing only increased and her coughing grew worse.

Thorin approached her first, sitting on a chair next to her bed and rubbing her back to help her breathe. "What did you see?" he asked sternly.

The words came out before she could stop them. "The Black Gate. Everybody was dead... there was blood everywhere... and _the__y _came and took me with them..."

Suddenly, Kylie was wrapped in a warm embrace. Fili and Kili had jumped on the bed, and were now hugging her fiercely. She put her head on Fili's shoulder, allowing the tears to fall down her face. "'Tis just a dream," he said.

"Only a dream," affirmed Kylie.

A/N: Yes, I'm still alive! Like I said, with school and writer's block, writing will be very slow. I may have overcome my writer's block, but the whole school thing is still a problem ;)

Anyway, I appreciate reviews! I appreciate constructive criticism, love compliments, and am definitely open to suggestions for the plot! No guarantees, but it can't hurt to ask!


	28. Chapter 28: The Search for the Door

Ch. 28: The Search for the Door

It took Kylie several days to recover. She did have a cold, but the nightmares took the largest toll on her health. The ones that she had in Lake Town were much tamer than those before, but it was very difficult to even be forced to remember those past events after the vividness of the Mirkwood dreams. But she was not alone. In their own ways, each member of the company helped her recover. Thorin, Balin, and Dwalin all sat and listened to the contents of her dream. Balin was definitely the best comforter of those three, but even Dwalin's presence comforted her. Bifur would listen, but Kylie was nearly eighty-five percent sure he didn't understand a word she was saying. Bofur would listen, but he would also sometimes give Kylie a pat on the back or an affirmative squeeze on the shoulder. So would Bilbo, but the hobbit would often scurry away to make her a cup of tea. Oin wasn't the best confidant, but Gloin would listen very well. Especially when she told him stories about Gimli. Dori, Nori, and Ori all listened to her together one time and Dori would give her a glass of wine. Unfortunately, as they all soon discovered, Kylie had a very low alcohol tolerance. It took all of the company to handle her that night, and Thorin vowed to disembowel the next company member who gave her any form of alcohol.

But undoubtedly, Kili and Fili had the best method of coping in coping-history.

Kylie had been asleep in the middle of the afternoon. Until her sleeping patterns could become regular again, she was ordered to stay in bed all day. Once again, her dreams found herself in Gondor. She sat up, panting, as the Witch-King approached her.

"Another dream?" asked Kili. He and Fili were both sitting on their his bed, only feet away.

"Yeah."

"What should we do?" asked Fili seriously. "Get Thorin?"

"No, I'm okay. Or I will be. They're getting better…."

"Yes, we should not bother Thorin," whispered Kili seriously. Then he whacked Kylie with a pillow.

"What?" Kylie grabbed her pillow and hurled it at Kili, who had tried to jump across the room. He ended up with a pillow in the back and flat on Bilbo's bed. He mumbled something into the pillow that sounded suspiciously like "throwing like a woman".

"I play tennis!" she called, jumping from her bed to Bilbo's where Kili was just starting to stand up. She picked up the pillow again and hit the recovering dwarf, who retreated to Thorin's bed.

Five minutes and six goose-feather pillows later, the three youngest members of the company were banned from the beds. Thankfully, they only stayed for two more nights.

"We would like to thank you greatly for your hospitality," said Thorin as they stood by the entrance of the town. Once again, they had packs and ponies and were ready to finish their journey, but this was the first time Kylie was able to see the town since the feast. Overall, they didn't look too bad. It just looked like a mob trying to get a glimpse of a favorite celebrity. However, a few gave her the creeps. The Master was one of these people; he looked at the company like he was personally preparing them for a barbaric sacrifice. Then there was also one man dressed in all black with a crooked smile. Kylie pulled her cloak closer.

"Someday soon, this town will prosper from the majesty of Erebor," promised Thorin.

"When the King Under the Mountain returns!" called somebody from town. With that, Lake Town started to cheer. The dwarves, especially Thorin and Fili and Kili, perked up a bit.

"If they even kill the dragon that is," said a solemn looking guard.

Kylie thought she was the only one who heard him, but clearly this was not the case. The town silenced and even Thorin gave the guard an uncomfortable glare. "That is what we intend to do," said the Dwarf King diplomatically.

"If you awake the dragon," continued the guard, "it could destroy us all."

The townspeople murmured, but that was quickly put to rest by the Master. "Ah, don't mind Bard! He always sees gloom where it is not present. From floods to poisoned fish… bah!" The man's words were slurred, but he gave Bard a pointed look. Kylie was almost completely convinced that the Master was drunk. As for this Bard guard, he simply crossed his arms and maintained his position. Despite the fact he was speaking about against them, she almost felt sorry for him. But those feelings disappeared as Balin motioned for her to lead Thorin as he led the company away.

"We shall return!" called Fili as they left through the town bridge. The crowd cheered loudly.

When they had reached a decent distance, Kylie turned to Thorin. "How exactly where we going to kill the dragon?" she asked tentatively.

Thorin gave her a strange look. "Our priority has always been to reach the mountain. From there, the home of my ancestors, inspiration will come."

"Besides, you're from the future," said Bofur cheerfully. "How did we kill the dragon?"

"Bofur I don't know! I'm sorry."

"In all your time here, you never came across one of us who told you?" asked Fili incredulously.

"No! There really wasn't much of a chance. I mean, there was that one meeting in Rivendell, but I fell asleep when Bilbo was telling the story…."

"What?" cried a squeak from the back of the company. Kylie turned to see Bilbo staring at her incredulously. "You fell asleep when I was telling a story?"

"I didn't mean to! It wasn't important at the time!"

"Not very important?" asked Dwalin gruffly. Despite her mental health predicament days before, he still did not entirely trust her.

"Well at the time, I was just looking for a way to get home. I mean, God didn't come tell me that I was going to come back when that was happening. I didn't think I'd ever need it."

"Was it my storytelling? Or will it be… do you just not appreciate my stories?" cried Bilbo.

"No! You have great stories… I just fell asleep during everyone's stories. I even fell asleep when Gandalf was talking!"

"Was I boring you?"

"No!"

"So how _do_ you get home?" asked Fili, trying desperately to change the topic. It was becoming increasingly clear that their irate hobbit was not about to give Kylie any slack.

"I just have to die." Kylie answered quickly A little too late, she realized that she shouldn't have said that. She did not mean anything by it, but it sounded _very_ bad. The entire company stared at her in absolute horror.

"Die?" squeaked Kili. The poor dwarf was in such bad shock that he sounded like he had yet to go through puberty.

"Umm… yeah. It wasn't that bad…."

"You have died," reiterated Thorin solemnly.

"Yeah… I've died," she shifted her pack awkwardly.

"How?" ventured Ori. "Did it hurt?"

Really? Damn dwarves…. "It was a bit uncomfortable!"

The entire company was completely silent. Except Bilbo: "I shall become an even better story teller. Mark my words! Next time I tell a story, you will be so enthralled that sleep shall evade you for a week!"

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It took them another week to reach the mountain. During that time, both Kylie and Bilbo agreed about one thing: The Lonely Mountain deserved its name. It was, as described, the only mountain in the area. Even more than that, the mountain had a certain feel to it. It was as if no life lived or would dare to live there for some time. It made both of the non-dwarven members of the company uneasy.

"We have traveled so long to reach this place," said Bilbo at the foot of the Mountain. "But in truth, I just do not like the look of it."

"I really don't either," admitted Kylie. "You don't think the dragon will know we're here. Do you?" She felt slightly bad when the hobbit grew pale at the mention of the dragon.

"Smaug is most likely buried in the throne room," said Balin. "We should not need to worry about him until we reach the door."

"And what are we going to do once we get there?" asked Kylie.

Balin shook his head and Bilbo looked like he had seen a ghost. "That's my job I'm afraid," he said.

Kylie nearly gaped. "You're supposed to confront the dragon?"

Bilbo nodded. "It's in my contract. But don't worry. I have my ring and at least he won't be able to see me."

Kylie fiddled her fingers together. The idea of Bilbo having to crawl to the depths to face an evil dragon with an even more evil ring made her feel queasy. But he had to do it, and she knew he would survive. He'd lived to tell the tale before; he could do it again.

Nevertheless, the company was on high alert. They made a habit of posting two guards on watch each night. That was when Kylie began to notice something. Each of the dwarves was taking a turn on watch. Even Bilbo had a shift or two. But whenever Thorin assigned watch shifts for the night, he'd conveniently overlook her.

"Likely because of your nightmares," assured Kili. "Speaking of which, how are they?"

"Kili, they've been fine since before we left Lake Town!" Every few days she'd have a bad dream, but they wouldn't wake her up anymore.

"Good! He's probably making sure you get caught up on sleep."

"But he made sure I was caught up on sleep when we were in _Lake Town_!" Really. Almost every time Thorin saw her in the living room, he told her that she should be resting.

Kili shrugged. "Maybe you still look tired?"

Kylie gave the young dwarf a death glare almost worthy of the line of Durin. But either way, she got a whole night's sleep that night. She brought it up to Balin.

"Wait for your time, child. Remember what I said of trust."

"You mean they still don't believe me?"

"After Lake Town, I would say most believe you speak the truth about your past. However… you know what the elves did to us. It is difficult for some to trust you with our security with such knowledge."

"But I'll never betray you! Why can't you believe that?"

"Lass, I do. But Thorin… give him time. Win his trust."

"But Balin, how can I win trust if nobody lets me?"

The old dwarf shrugged. "Continue telling stories. They seem to have won over at least half the company."

Kylie nearly snorted. "Not the half that assigns watches or anything important. Besides, I thought you said most of them at least mostly believe my story after… the dreams."

Balin nodded reluctantly. "We all saw your reactions to those, lassie. They could not be anything but genuine."

"Then why do I need to keep telling stories?"

"For the amusement of the rest of the company?"

Kylie came to a sudden stop. These dwarves… the best of days they were the most lovable, uniquely caring beings in the world. On the worst, she had no words.

"Come on there, Kylie, don't make us come back there!" called Fili.

"We would hate to have to carry you to camp," added Kili.

Much to Balin's amusement, Kylie huffed and picked up her pace. She was frustrated, but it felt unspeakably good to have somebody still tease with her as before Mirkwood. But despite all of it, something made Kylie fell uneasy. If she had to put it into words, she felt like she was being watched.

A/N: I'm still alive, and I'm still writing! Hopefully I'll be able to crank something out a little sooner than a month... lol. Anyway, I love feedback! :)


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